Monster II: Dark Paradise
by Kuraki-chan
Summary: Nova Vasile has fallen about as far as she possibly could. Is there anything worth redeeming anymore? Archangels, Travelers, the world's biggest family secrets and scandals, dead that don't want to remain dead; what's become of Mystic Falls? Are there no hands left clean of bloodshed? Will cover seasons 5&6. DamonxOC. Mild crossover with SPNfic Devil in Me.
1. My Normal Then Departed From Me

**A/N:** _(will be the same across all three updates)_ Heyheyhey ya girl is back just as promised! I've actually been working pretty well on this so joke's on anyone who thought I gave up LOL

Not quite on the first day on spring but let's face it, if you live up north in the USA, it's not spring yet. Though I'm sure we've all heard the heart breaking news, spoiler if you haven't but we all need to know, Supernatural is ending after this fall's _fifteenth_ season. So my series won't be eternal since they wanna kill off my hopes and dreams -shrug- lmao jk for real though get the tissues. For those who care in the meantime, you've got this series! _Monster_ is kicking off here with it's second half that will take care of seasons five and six of The Vampire Diaries. I will likely reference The Originals from time to time to peek in on Lethia; I have not yet decided if I'm doing a spin off.

_Rise II: Devil in Me_ resumes with season 10 of Supernatural. A third installment (title TBD) will cover seasons 11 and 12.

And because I realized I hadn't done much with it yet I'm gonna try to shove some of the original _Rise_ in starting today with chapter three.

Side note: there will be a new promo posted to my youtube shortly! Stay tuned for that and more updates!

Thank you to everyone who has been following and favoriting while waiting!  
Here's what you were waiting so patiently for.

xoxo  
Kuraki-chan

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01: My Normal then Departed from Me.

For four days Nova was in and out of consciousness. Stefan and Damon found the three women entirely unconscious on the floor of the high school. After all of the catastrophe Kol had caused, the sealing and protection of the Other Side, and Nova's deadly bender they were glad to find the three still alive. Well, Katherine they couldn't have cared less about; they left her on the floor. Stefan brought Elena home, cleaned her up a bit, and laid her in her bed to rest before going to dump Silas' body. It only made sense to lock Nova in the basement while they had the chance.

When Stefan returned from Elena's house, he stopped briefly at the boarding house. He found his brother sitting in the cell with a still unconscious Nova in his lap. It was then that Stefan finally noticed Nova's hair was above her shoulders. The scattered and discarded locks along the high school's linoleum had gone mostly unnoticed to the younger brother. In all their years together Nova Vasile never had her hair shorter than the bottom of her shoulder blades. He allowed his brother a few more minutes of peace before they had to close the door. Damon took one last look at her before the steel door slammed shut and Stefan vanished.

On the fifth day, as her consciousness became more frequent, Nova started to feel the withdrawals. It began with a fever that scorched through her icy veins, then excruciating pain all across her body. Her mouth was more dry than she had ever felt in her extended life; her lips had begun to crack and split. The cold sweats drenched the already filthy clothes she had been in. It took most of what remained of her stamina to force off her torn leather jacket and let it fall to the floor. For over 24 hours straight Nova just writhed in pain on the cellar floor, not terribly hating how cold it felt against her fever. Halfway into the pain she couldn't take it anymore and started screaming. Anyone who walked into the Salvatore Boarding House could hear her.

Jeremy wanted nothing more than to at least talk to her, but his sister and Damon urged that she detox the drugs and angel blood before _anyone_ spoke to her. Damon admitted once when she had gotten deep into the cocaine it took nearly three weeks to clear her system. She also wasn't entirely feral and purged angel blood so she was still allowed human blood. With all she had done that time around they were forced to essentially start to dessicate her and then very slowly they could bring her back to health.

Towards dusk on the eighth day Nova was panting, sweating, and dragging what was left of her nails across the cement floor. After doing it in the same spot so many times she started to leave indents and break off whatever was left for nail. Her throat was on fire from being so dry. She was wheezing and rasping. Yet still her humanity would not return.

She realized the angel blood had ruined her. It made her sick to think Carina had used such a trick to distract her. Who knew what she had missed from drowning in angel blood? Her best friend was pregnant with a tri-brid baby, to start. She found herself thinking of Zarya, wondering if the human girl was still kicking. As Nova became lucid from the drugs and angel blood leaving her system, she could feel a weight on her chest. The desire for survival was immense. Something wasn't right and it had to be Zarya.

Nova had never channeled anyone else but Lethia before. It was dangerously easy for the two of them from the Moore spell linking them. Part of her digressed momentarily and wondered how that spell would affect her during Lethia's pregnancy, or if it was even affecting Lethia at all anymore. She threw herself onto her back, her blurred vision focused on the dingy ceiling. She tried to ignore the sensations of Zarya's misery creeping towards her. Seconds ticked by like days. Had she actually died and ended up in Hell rather than the Other Side? The Other Side was still in tact and closed, wasn't it? She never thought much of Heaven or Hell, honestly. Wasn't Lucifer still in Hell? If he was, and she was, shouldn't he be bashing her skull through some Cage or flames already? No, she wasn't in Hell and she wasn't on the Other Side. She was very much alive and very much going crazy.

She began wavering in and out of consciousness again, that time with dreams and visions haunting her. Nova recognized Dean Winchester sitting across from her view in what looked like a little diner. She watched his eyes that were almost as green as her own flash entirely black. It awoke her abruptly, but the fever and throbbing head put her right back out. She was encased in darkness; a metal box barely large enough for a person to stand. Ice cold water was filling the space, filling her lungs. She couldn't scream because she would choke on the water. Everytime she died from drowning, her vampire nature brought her right back to drown again.

Nova woke up drenched in a cold sweat after. She gasped for air. Her tired, darkened eyes looked to the steel door with hatred. Slowly but surely she forced herself to crawl towards the door. It was much further than she anticipated, and she passed out several times during the trek, having an awful nightmare/vision each time. Brinking on the fifteenth morning Nova laid slumped up against the cold door breathing heavily. Her heart was pounding nearly out of her chest. She was starving. But she also knew nobody was going to check on her until they thought the rabies had passed. If she didn't still have her humanity off she figured she would have been crying by then, but she felt nothing of emotion. Nova could only feel the physical pain from her system detoxing.

She didn't care that they locked her in the basement. She didn't care that Elena and Lethia had turned it back on, or that Lethia was pregnant. She didn't even care about the things she would see. By the sixteenth day the visions weren't just when she would pass out; she had started hallucinating them while she was awake as well. She wanted nothing more than the energy to stand and start pulling or kicking apart the door but she could barely sit and breathe. After being flashed too often with hallucinations she started banging the back of her head against the door in an attempt to make them stop.

Nova saw Saskia at one point with the Mark of Cain vanishing from her arm. She could feel her ancestor's rage and weakness as the Mark faded but a disturbing joy seeping in. It bounced to Elena filling out paper after paper for Whitmore college. There were so many papers that the insignia of the college nearly burned its way into Nova's mind. Time seemed to reel back and she was at Whitmore college that time, only it was clearly decades prior. The entire grounds flashed through, dragging her into a dorm room. Bright green eyes of a young Siya Vasile stared back at her. Siya looked down at her knuckles that were torn and scabbing over before looking back at her reflection and putting makeup on the cuts and bruises across her cheeks and lips.

Nova received only a moment of peace before she was drowning in the dark, metal box again. As she started to choke the scene melted into something slowly. She could feel a hand around her throat choking just enough to show dominance and not threat. The hand was warmer than she ever felt, almost burning her icy skin. No, it wasn't just a show of dominance; it was sexual. Two shades of green eyes flashed before her own - one pair tinted with drops of light blue, the other darker and more olive hued. Nova slammed her head as hard as she could against the door until she was freed from the hallucination. She lost track of the time the hallucinations took from her.

Upstairs, Damon and Elena could hear her banging on the door. The first time Damon nearly flew down the stairs. Elena stopped him; they both knew full well it wasn't time yet. All Nova was doing was lashing out, trying to cause herself pain because she was losing it. Damon wasn't sure how much longer he could take it after an entire month. Once and a while he would sit at the top of the basement stairs with a bottle of bourbon and just listen to her breathe. He prayed to hear some kind of sob or plead for help. Hell, he'd even have taken her cussing him out. All he wanted was to hear her voice to start. Some nights when he just couldn't take it, knowing the love of his life was rotting slowly in the basement and not wanting to help herself, he would wander with his bottle until he ended up at her home in the woods. He would sit at her piano and just tap the keys, listening to the pitiful sound echo through the dark and silent house.

Elena and Lethia knew how difficult it must have been for Damon. He couldn't even bring himself to answer Lethia's phone calls. Elena had taken up talking to the blonde hybrid when she couldn't get ahold of Bonnie or Stefan anymore. The witch had left them a message saying she was traveling; that she wanted to find out more about the Moores and other witch covens out there. She needed to help fix herself after all of the Expression. Stefan had gone to get rid of Silas and never returned. He just sent Elena a cryptic text saying he needed some time and space after everything that happened. And with Lethia pregnant and in NOLA she was no longer attending Whitmore with them. It was solely down to Elena and Caroline anymore. How lonely their dorm room would be…

Days turned into weeks. Most of which Nova spent laying on the floor in front of the door when she couldn't sit up any longer. When she wasn't bombarded by hallucinations she was listening as best as she could. She didn't hear a lot of foot traffic, but she could hear when Damon was sitting at the top of the basement stairs. She could hear every time he tipped the bottle back. She could hear the steadiness of his breathing and heart rate as much as he forced them to be. A part of her was clawing desperately to call to him, even a whimper of his name. He would hear it, but he would also know it was a sign of weakness and her giving in. Nova swore she would never be weak again. She would survive the detox and their attempt to dessicate her because only then could she prove how strong she really was. She didn't need nephilim or angel blood or to cake her nostrils with cocaine. She just needed to survive and fight.

It was the last week and a half into the second month of summer when a knock sounded on the boarding house door. It had been at a time that Nova was unconscious entirely on the floor so the sound went unheard by her ears. Both Elena and Damon were in the parlour when they heard it. Any of their friends just walked right in; it was the boarding house. Daciana was bouncing between NOLA and wherever else from what Lethia would tell Elena, but nobody had heard from Saskia or Zarya in some time. There was no protective barrier at the door anymore since Elena had turned. No human owned the boarding house, allowing any vampire in anytime.

They stood when they heard the sound. Damon just didn't give a damn anymore. Whoever was at that door wouldn't stand a chance if they were there for an attack. He would kill anybody that tried to get in the way of him saving Nova. He'd kill anybody for Nova. Yet when the door was hastily pulled open, the older Salvatore froze. Elena couldn't see who it was or why they caused such a reaction in Damon but she knew it couldn't be good. Suddenly, Damon was shoved aside and Elena backed up defensively.

"Give me a break," came a boisterous female's voice with the most disturbing hint of a Romanian accent, "if I was here to murder anybody I would have done it rather than knocking on your door. This is a boarding house," bags plopped down in the entryway, "so I am here to be boarded thank you very much."

Elena was practically choking on the air when he saw the woman. Damon held a similar reaction as he remained frozen in place with the door wide open. "Z-Zina?!" She finally exclaimed. "B-but how?"

She looked around the boarding house with a hand on her hip. Her hair was straightened with a few inches taken off, ending just over her breasts. She had clearly found herself some modern clothes as she donned tight, faux leather jeggings, a lacy white blouse with long sleeves and a v-neck to show off her cleavage, and still shining black heels. She had come with two suitcases and a duffel bag that she left in the entryway as she walked into the parlour. She offered a shrug as she poured herself a glass of whiskey.

"You twits are perfectly content with Jeremy Gilbert brought back and your darling Bennett witch missing, but it's such a mystery how I broke out?" She took a good gulp of the whiskey without making a face before jingling her hand and wrist that held the glass around. Her ruby bracelet shimmered against her pale skin. "Come on, I have been plotting my escape for decades. Veil drops just enough where I can reach my bracelet and here I am to grace all of you with my magnificent existence. Just in time if I do say so myself; this town is pitiful."

"Absolutely not," Damon responded first and at last. He slammed the door shut and marched over to her, taking the glass from her hand and finishing it off. "I don't know what game you think you're up to since Nova isn't doing well right now, but so help me God I will send you right the fuck back to the Other Side right now."

Zina stared snarkily up at him. "Ooh, doesn't someone think they're big and brave today. Clearly you put on your big boy undies this morning. Too bad they're not going to help you when the fucking apocalypse starts."

"What apocalypse?" came Elena's soft voice as she stepped forward a couple of inches.

"Not like, _the_ Heavenly apocalypse. No, the Winchesters and little Zarya botched that years ago." She waved her hand as if to wave it off. "This is Remiel's apocalypse coming. Everything is starting to come together for her."

"How would you know any of this if you've been on the Other Side for over a century though?"

"Because I was on the Other Side? Duh?" She rolled her pitch black eyes. "I was able to see _everything_. I know all about my sister's life and transgressions which is why I'm here; we're on a clock that's ticking faster than her becoming sober. Lucifer has Auriel Cressida, Remiel has Runa Vasile, and one Knight of Hell Demon Dean has Zarya."

"Do you know what Remiel's plan is then?" Another step forward from Elena as if she was starting to trust or believe the younger ravenette. "We've been dealing with so many of our own issues that we didn't even look into Remiel yet…"

"Well then thank the celestials that I arrived when I did," Zina shook her head as she looked at the trio. Still Damon only glared at her. "Remiel always wanted to prove her worth; to show all of her siblings that she wasn't just some baby archangel filled with useless hope. Her and Lucifer loved each other undyingly. They say Lucifer's crime was that he loved his Father too much to bow to humanity, but he always knew how his sister shined. She even had put in effort to help God create the world. She has the power of creation." Their eyes widened from the information. "Why do you think the stone has six very dangerous categories? Conjuration, Abjuration, Illusion, Transmutation, Divination, and Necromancy. Each of those six things were six abilities Remiel had that were too fucking powerful for her to contain. He sought to make her in the image of Lucifer with the promise of his ideas for humanity. Remiel is the most powerful being in all of existence and because of the Mark of Cain, her love for Lucifer, and constantly being put down by Michael and Raphael she's been able to do whatever it took to prove it."

"So what the hell are you doing here blathering all of this nonsense to us for?" Damon snapped. He was already at the end of his rope and then Zina fucking Vasile had to show up alive and well at their door. How much more could he take? "It has nothing to do with us. We don't fuck with angels out here. We never even knew they existed beforehand."

"That's exactly what Remiel was banking on, _tâmpit_," Zina hissed back. "You think Mystic Falls is just conveniently home of the supernatural? This town didn't even exist until the vikings found it. The vikings that turned into the Original family. The Original family that hosted Daciana Vasile. Nothing is a coincidence. Everything coincides with the Vasile blood and Remiel's plot."

"That still doesn't explain why you're telling us any of this or what you're doing here."

"Anybody with Vasile blood is tied to our own line. It links each and every one of us together. We were granted free will solely because we were born from mothers which was God's creation. Once Remiel has the power she needs and enough Vasiles she can access each and every one of us individually as our master creator. She can take that free will from us like a toy we weren't supposed to be playing with and then we are hers to command. Remiel's supernatural army that is so hell bent on survival we don't know how to die. Guess what _tâmpit_, that includes you and Bambi eyes over there along with Lethia Kross and, chances are, her devilish little tri-brid monster. Do you know what an archangel with her weapon and holy treasure can accomplish with an army of unkillable beasts at her command? I don't care what long term issues Nova and I have and will more than likely always retain; I will be damned straight to Hell this time rather than allow her to be some mind slave because she was vulnerable."

"What could you possibly do for Nova aside from try and kill her _again_? She's doing just fine detoxing in our hands and she will be on her feet in no time."

"Are you willing to put your lives on the line for that, Damon?"

"There's nothing else to do so yes I will. I can _always_ bring Nova back from the edge."

"She jumped off the edge this time, Damon!" Zina shouted, growing angry. "You want to get through to her this time you have to dig _deep_. We have to really get into her head."

"That didn't even work on me when I shut off my humanity," Elena admitted with guilt. "They tried everything… Only when I thought my still human childhood best friend was actually dead did it shock my humanity back on."

"You seem to be mistaken then; my goal is not to turn my sister's humanity back on. That's not my problem nor is it in my paygrade to even attempt. But I can at least speed up the detox process and bring her to her senses."

"What's the point then if it won't turn her humanity back on?" Damon hissed bitterly.

"You know," she looked to him with dark cynicism, "I always heard how brilliant my sister was. How gallant the vampire at her side was. Yet all I have seen and what I'm currently seeing is a couple of damn imbeciles."

"Watch your mouth, Zina."

"No, I don't think I will. Clearly there are words you need to hear, starting with _stop trying to be Nova's savior_. She doesn't want to be rescued, Damon. She has the same ideals as Remiel essentially; survive and build an empire to show everyone that you are not weak. Nova was the one raised with a crown on her head. Once she marries she will legally own all Vasile land in the country of Romania. She's bought what she could of almost every night club across the globe. She's shredded down hunters and even Niklaus Mikaelson. She is everything Remiel seeks and that makes her a liability. Her humanity will come back on if or when it ever does. I don't know if there is a trauma great enough to break my sister. But at least if she's not wallowing in addiction and self-loathing then she can fight. So long as her body and mind are not goo when Remiel or Lucifer come for us then she can defend us. She can stand alongside us able to thwart the archangels' influence _because_ her humanity is nonexistent."

"What makes you think she even would? Klaus and everyone in her past ruined her ever wanting to be queen of Vasile castle. She had enough of her parents' tyranny and rule. She was done adhering to what people expected of her so she derailed as far as she could possibly go. She wants nothing to do with the Vasile family or the horrors it brings. She would tell all of you to go fuck yourselves so let me save her some trouble since she can't talk right now."

Zina shook her head with her cold gaze fixated on Damon. "You truly don't get it, do you? Everything she has ever done and will continue to do are all for you, _tâmpit._ Just as Remiel and Lucifer remained alongside one another so continues the tradition."

"What tradition?" Elena asked quickly as soon as the words left Zina's mouth.

"Remiel never stood alone; she always had Lucifer by her side. When she forged her line of creatures, she destined each of us to the same bond. She used one of her own feathers and one of Lucifer's to ensure Saskia and Runa's lives during the birth. Every Vasile woman has a person - nondiscriminatory, could literally be anyone as angels are indifferent to sexual orientation - whom they are bound to for all eternity. They share a mark on each other's souls. It doesn't have to be romantic love either. Just another person that we feel undying fealty to. A person we love above our own lives and would do literally anything in our power to defend and fight for."

Elena immediately looked wide eyed to Damon. Everything came together at last. It was never a sire bond that held Nova and Damon together. It was never a sire bond that made her come every time he called. It wasn't even just loyalty or love. It was an undying, eternal bond forged by angel grace. He realized it was no coincidence that he ended up on the pier the day Nova arrived. He had no business being there but for some reason he chose to take the long way home that afternoon. And Nova was the first person out of the entire crowd that he actually saw. At last Damon shut his mouth and backed down with the realization. Seeing his reaction, Zina eased up and continued to explain calmly.

"Saskia and Cain," she told them softly. "Daciana and Niklaus. Carina and Kol. Nova and you, Damon. It's taken me a lot to find that much but as soon as I did I just knew. That's why you're extra and increasingly miserable right now - because of how bad off Nova is. To lose who you are bound to entirely is basically to rip out your heart and continue living as it beats and rots in frozen ground. I can speed up the process, Damon. That's part of my Power; my psychic abilities. But I'd like your help to ease the process and probably feed into your hope of saving her."

Damon was quiet for a long while, not answering her. In the silence he heard a soft groan; Nova was waking up again. Most of what Zina told him didn't matter in his head. He had to get his Nova back. His _dolcezza._ At last, with the girls impatiently waiting, he nodded curtly. "Let's hurry then."


	2. And I am Left to Face Me

**A/N:** No, no, it wasn't some early April Fool's, I'm really back! Lmao  
_Dark Paradise,_ _Devil in Me, _and _Rise_ are all up and running as regularly as I possibly can! I'm about halfway through Supernatural season 10 for _Devil in Me_ so far but the first half of TVD's season 5 is just _brutal_. Silas and the Travelers were always kind of a joke to me -shrug-  
Maybe I'll just have Saskia shred him. I haven't decided yet. LOL

Follow/fave/review/Facebook/YouTube!

xoxo  
Kuraki-chan

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02: And I Am Left to Face Me.

Nova's head was _throbbing_. It was beginning to feel like claws scratching at her brain and skull. No matter how many times she bashed her head against the door or floor the pain wouldn't stop. With what raspy voice she had left, she let out a volatile scream before hitting her head so hard into the metal that it left a deep indent. When she opened her eyes again, she was back at the motel she ended up at before returning to Mystic Falls. She was sprawled back out on the bed with the scent of blood and death filling the room. Although they were only corpses strewn about the room, Nova could still hear each and every one of them screaming, pleading, and gurgling. Her eye twitched as she stared up at the no longer white ceiling from so many people smoking in the room. It was too different than the way she had been hallucinating for days. Something wasn't right.

It hadn't been easy to get inside of Nova's head, even with Damon's help. Zina almost could have admired her sister's mental strength. She could tell that Nova still laid by the door which made it a little easier for her to access. The barely younger Romanian sat down cross legged outside of her sister's cell. She held one hand up to Damon and placed the other with her palm against the door. Through the connection she shared with Damon, Zina could _find_ her way into her sister's head, but getting through it was a whole other issue. It was three more days of scraping and kicking when Damon gave up. Zina decided she didn't need him anymore and still attempted at forcing her way into Nova's mind. Damon retreated upstairs for some whiskey while Zina pressed both of her hands onto the metal door.

For a solid while she felt nothing. She certainly wasn't about to tell them that since she returned from the dead she felt no connection to her power or even being a vampire. She had tried a couple of blood bags that went down smooth, but felt nothing. No fangs, no strength, only speed and compulsion for a limited time before she crashed and got a migraine. Zina grit her teeth and dug her coffin shaped nails into the metal, scraping it loudly. Rage and determination exploded within her. The pupils in her eyes finally stood out as her irises glowed a bright, hibiscus red. Her hair blew around gently from a nonexistent wind in the cellar as a darkness crept into the whites of her eyes. She could feel the connection finally being made into her sister's mind; her claws tearing through Nova's barriers. Veins appeared beneath her eyes and finally she could feel her fangs extending as her lips pulled back. Not a damn person, creature, or magic would keep Zina Arete Vasile down for long.

Nova almost believed she was wrong when she was violently thrust back into the basement with the same excruciating pain in her skull. Perhaps the hallucinations were just getting more painful as she dessicated. The pain came back in full force as it had the first time, prompting her to start hitting her head again. The vision that haunted her that time, however, was one she hadn't relived in a very long time.

She never did remember what state it was, or how she ended up there. She knew she endured another birthday without a trace of Damon still when she wandered, murdering and feeding everywhere she went. She was about to leave the miserable state after draining her eleventh body dry and dumping it somewhere when she saw a woman and her teen daughter walking home from a malt shop. Something about the woman's face enraged her. It reminded her oddly of her own mother's and she ended up stalking the mother and daughter to their home. Nova could see through the windows all of the photos covering their walls. Clearly they weren't hurting for money, as photos still weren't terribly cheap in 1958. They were a happy family with a husband, wife, and daughter. But where was the darling husband so late at night?

As Nova made her way around the house she realized that the family kept certain weapons laid about the home; machetes over the mantle, shotguns in the garage, and silver daggers 'decoratively' hung in the kitchen. Car lights brightened up the driveway and yard, prompting Nova to take to the shadows. She watched a man get out of the car with a heavy duffel bag and walk into the house. As a vampire, she couldn't miss the scent of blood and death all over him and his belongings. She watched him go to his family and get a hug from his daughter and a kiss from his wife. Fire burned in the pit of her gut. She wasn't certain what exactly about the whole ordeal made her so angry, but without her humanity she just didn't care. After the fifth birthday without Damon she couldn't bear it anymore and shut off her humanity.

Even still Nova wasn't sure what possessed her to pick the lock and turn the knob on their front door after they went to sleep that night. Yet when her feet crossed the threshold she was filled with a dark and sadistic joy. Not a mere scent of the house didn't reek of human, so how was she able to cross without an invitation? Even though humans resided there, did one not own the house? Whatever the reasoning, Nova didn't have a care in the world. She traipsed silently through the house and up the stairs, loathing every family photo with each step.

It was mother dearest that first attracted her with pure infuriation so the mother she sought out first and foremost. The parents' bedroom was at one end of the hall and the daughter's on the opposite end. Convenient for her, yet foolish for them. The wooden door opened slowly without a sound. It was almost as if everything had been muted with how silently Nova could move and operate.

She walked up to the mother's side of the bed where the woman laid flat on her back, giving Nova every detail of her face. She looked just like a younger Alina Vasile the way her jaw and cheekbones were set. Her raven hair fanned out against the white pillows almost too evenly. Even her stupid nose. Beside her laid her husband, blissfully asleep. Though Nova didn't know or care, he had a total of four hours sleep in two days so he was entirely out cold back home in his own bed. Still Nova remained fixated on the woman. She _despised_ that a random stranger, and a weak human at that, could look anything like Alina Vasile. Without warning Nova snatched the woman out of bed by her throat as hard as she could squeeze without killing her yet.

Her husband felt the movement immediately and jumped up with a gun from under his pillow. Nova held his wife with her back against Nova's chest and a hand still firmly around her throat. "Unless you've got wooden bullets in there you're not even going to make me flinch," she hissed with her thick Romanian accent.

"What are you?" he demanded, his stance unwavering in the slightest.

"I'm a monster," she grinned, baring her fangs as the veins appeared under her darkening eyes. "And I'm a lot faster and stronger than you."

Nova tore ruthlessly into the woman's throat, her blood gurgling scream echoing through the entire house. Gunshots rang next but as his wife's lifeless corpse dropped to the floor he watched the holes in Nova's abdomen heal themselves instantly. She advanced on the man who continued to shoot until his clip was empty and the wall prevented him from moving any further. He started to sweat and panic knowing his fourteen year old and barely trained daughter was sound asleep down the hall.

"Go ahead and kill me," he told Nova boldly. "I only ask that you allow my daughter to live." She quirked a brow and stopped in her tracks. "You were somebody's daughter once, were you not? Just allow her to live even with the horrific memory of her parents' murders."

Nova pondered the idea before offering an uncaring shrug. "If you really want that poor kid to endure life after seeing what I've done to you and your stupid wife then I would be glad to torment her that way. It will really show her what kind of monsters lurk this Earth." She smirked and grabbed him by the throat.

"I already know there are monsters that walk amongst us," came the overly brave voice of a pubescent teen girl. "My dad was sure to teach me that young."

Her head turned slowly without her grip relenting even the slightest on his windpipe. The child looked similar to her mother with dark hair and pointed features. In the dim lighting Nova thought her eyes were almost as green as her own. She nearly laughed when she saw the machete in the girl's hands. It was smaller than the ones over the mantle had been, telling Nova that it was the girl's personal machete she probably kept by her bed. "Yes," she humored as she dragged the father off the wall and not touching the floor, "but not even your daddy here knows about monsters like _me_."

Nova bit as hard as she could into his carotid artery, getting a satisfying mouthful of warm blood before shredding her teeth through his skin and sending blood spraying across everything. The girl was visibly shaken and let out a frightened gasp. Her grip on the machete shook. She took a terrified step back as her dad's body fell limply to the floor on top of her mom. Their blood pooled across the hardwood floor without ever touching Nova's heels. With her long legs she stepped over the corpses still without touching any blood and towards the girl.

"Stay away from me!" She screamed before running back down the hall with her machete.

"Enjoy living your life according to the nightmare I set for you!" Nova laughed as she strut towards the stairs. The girl's door slammed shut and she heard it lock. "Go ahead and keep on living, child. You live on _my_ whim now. Never forget this night or my face because you will never have the chance to kill me."

Nova was severed from the memory, watching herself walk out of the house rather than reliving it like she had the rest. She watched herself stand at the end of their driveway and light up a cigarette before vanishing down the street. She stood there frozen after being forced to remember what she had done. Even with the body count she had she still never understood what provoked her so deeply to destroy that random family or why it held such significance in her life.

"Because they were Vasiles," she realized at long last as the police cruisers sped onto the scene. As quickly as officers ran into the house, two ran out with the girl wrapped in a blanket. With all of the headlights Nova could finally see clearly that her eyes were in fact a bright green. Her mother's sharp features in her face were merely a base for her father's softer ones. It reminded her oddly of- "Siya and Zarya…"

"Yes, sister, you killed Siya Vasile's grandmother," came Zina's voice beside her suddenly.

Nova jumped at least a foot away from her as her sister just stared at the scene with her hands behind her back. She was cleaned up and wearing modern clothes. What was going on? "Zina," she hissed. "What the hell is this?"

"This is what I've been trying to figure out for days - your deeply rooted crime that darkens you each time you shut it off. The one thing you can never take back; killing a member of our clan."

She scoffed. "I killed our parents just as well. Mother was a Vasile blood yet it did nothing for me."

"And that was why you sought out Lena, wasn't it? Because she looked like mother. That is what damned you, Nova. Alina Vasile was not innocent anymore. She had done horrible things because she was compelled to. You killing her only released her from the misery that chained her everyday. But Lena here, she was a wife and a good mother. They minded their own business even though Daniel, her husband, was an American Hunter. You see, the Men of Letters were destroyed a few months prior to this which left Daniel to hunt on his own rather than be told when and where by the Men of Letters. Lena wasn't a hunter, but Daniel made sure she knew how to protect herself and little Audra."

"Why are you telling me all of this? What are you doing here? Answer me, Zina!"

Nova had grabbed her sister by the hem of her v-neck which made her smirk lightly. "You and Damon truly are one in the same. It's quite amazing, really."

Her grip tightened, fangs bared. "Stay away from Damon."

"What are you going to do about it, _sora mai mare_?" With ease she shoved her older sister away and onto the ground. "You killed an innocent, human Vasile out of spite and hatred for our own mother's face when you shut off your humanity for, what? The very first time I think it was? This is the event that caused your spiral, Nova. You knew what you were doing was wrong, that there was more to the picture than your hatred was allowing you to see, and you fed into it anyways. Keep feeding it and it will become you. That's not strength, Nova. _That_ is weakness because you allow something so trivial to consume you."

Nova was forced back into her painfully slowly dessicating and detoxing body, her head slamming (that time) accidentally against the door from the force. "I think this is going to be my best torture yet," Zina's voice sounded clearly in the cell with her. She jumped when she saw her sister standing above her. "You can't get rid of me this time, _sora mai mare_."

"Just stay the hell away from me," she muttered as she tried to crawl away.

Zina slammed her sister against the door by her throat. "No, you see, this ends when you can't take it anymore. When you're all done pitching your fit and want to a grown up with the rest of us. Right now, sister, I own you. And I'm going to snap you back before Remiel can break you down."

"I've really started to hallucinate from hunger now," Nova laughed against her sister's grip. Her head lolled about laxidasily. "Even if you were trying to haunt me again, _I don't care._ You don't matter, Zina."

Her grip tightened so hard that Nova could actually _feel_ it. "I am not a ghost this time around, Nova." Her bracelet shimmered in Nova's peripheral vision causing her eyes to slightly widen. "You are not getting rid of me."

She snarled and balled her fists at her side. "Then I guess I'm just going to have to kill you this time." Even with the next to zero strength she had, Nova forced her fist through Zina's chest and grabbed her heart. She squeezed until she felt it pop and Zina dropped to the cold floor. Nova started to laugh loudly as she held herself tall against the door.

"Not today, _sora mai mare_." Her eyes widened in horror and gave way to a twitch. "You're my little bitch in every sense of the word."

Nova watched with fury as the body of Zina she ripped the heart out of vanished before her eyes. Her sister's voice had echoed through the cell until she reformed sitting on the cot with her arms and legs crossed. "That's not possible! Not even for either of us!"

Zina laughed a little as she stood. "Your world right here in this cell is whatever I want it to be, sister. You thought I would actually step foot into this pit with you? No, I knew you would do something like that. It's exactly who you are. So I thought I would skip the physical theatrics and just invade your mind as a whole. It was easy enough for me so it would be a piece of cake for Remiel."

_Okay, you made it kind of difficult for me but I did just return from the dead,_ she thought outside the door. _Remiel is also an archangel and quite frankly, dear sister, you can just bite it._

"Damon would never-"

"It took some convincing, but when I let him know about Lucifer and Remiel descending upon us all and Remiel's wish to revoke our free will and make each of us bound by blood her slaves it seemed to persuade him. Do you remember in 1958 when you were finally reunited how you told Damon you had only given in and shut it off a few weeks prior? Why did you not confide to him that you did it after the fifth year without him on the day of your birth in which you never age again? Did you not want him to find out about your ruthless murders? Or was it just Lena and Daniel Vasile's deaths you didn't want getting out? Tell me the truth, sister, for you have no choice."

Damon listened upstairs for hours as Zina and Nova went back and forth blow for blow. Each time Nova killed her sister Zina reappeared for another round. Elena had left before Zina even invaded her sister's mind. Unable to listen to the fighting and Romanian cursing anymore, Damon meandered up the stairs. Absentmindedly he found a pack of unopened cigarettes in one of Nova's drawers. He thumbed over the brand before slapping it against his palm several times and cracking it open. He sat in their window nook with a bottle of bourbon and the cigarettes, smoking and drinking until the sun had gone down and came up again. He had managed to tune out the slightly quieter battle when his phone rang with Elena's name on the screen.

"Any progress using Zina's methods?" She asked quietly.

"Not from what I've heard," he replied blandly as he took a long drag on his fourteenth cigarette.

"Are you… are you smoking right now?"

"And all night. Nova's always stocked up and hid cigarette packs since she became a smoker. So I've just about finished off this bottle and pack."

"Damon, do you… do you think there will come a point where you will just give up? Where you'll see that you won't ever get the Nova you knew back…?"

Damon was quiet as he smushed the cigarette butt into the ashtray. "Are you asking because you think Nova can't be saved or because Stefan took off without a word and you're partially blaming Nova for it?"

"Why would you think I blame Nova?"

"Who doesn't blame Nova for everything that's happened?" His voice was stressed and strained. "The second she came back into town for me and stayed changed everything. Everything has always been because of Nova."

"Damon…" She just about whimpered with guilt. She gave a sigh and then the line fell quiet while he lit up another cigarette and stared out the window. "Why didn't you ever mention Nova when you came to Mystic Falls?"

"Seriously, Elena? She ran in the 90s when she found out I was still tracking Katherine and how to break her out of the tomb she wasn't even in. She broke my heart when she did that and I knew exactly why. So yes, I came to Mystic Falls in search of Katherine because it was my only hope after Nova left. When I realized Katherine duped me I knew I fucked up even worse. I wasn't going to mention someone who's life I ruined when I had bigger plots here. I never expected her to come back to me."

_And I'm not so sure she will this time…_ He thought mournfully.

"She came back because she loves you, Damon. And she always had. She left because she was hurt, yes, but she realized that she couldn't keep going without you. And after what Zina told us, neither of you can live without the other. She'll keep coming back to you, Damon."

"Is this supposed to be the part where I tell you some half ass comforting bullshit about Stefan just like that?"

Elena stiffened on the other end at his harsh words. True, she was hoping for some sort of solace, but she was sure she wasn't going to receive it. "No, actually. I should have just believed you when he left with Klaus the first time and became a Ripper again." She couldn't see but he had stopped puffing, causing the cigarette to burn, his eyes widened a little. "If I hadn't been so determined to save Stefan then, then Nova never would have gotten involved with Klaus. It wouldn't have started her spiral since returning to Mystic Falls. I should have told you to just leave with her and move on without Stefan."

Admittedly, Damon felt a pang of guilt. It wasn't necessary for Elena to blame herself, but he was wallowing and hurting badly enough where he was going to let her. Part of him even still blamed Stefan. If it weren't for him, and even Katherine, he could have lived a human life with Nova. They could have built their own estate, had children, and lived peacefully with one another. Truthfully, he never wanted Nova to turn. Even after he had he didn't want to darken the Romanian's innocence. On more than one occasion he contemplated either compelling her or just ending her life swiftly and peacefully. He feared if he compelled her and gave her a new life that he would seek her out again and ruin it all.

"Damon," came Zina's voice quietly in the doorway. He hung up and still refused to look at her. "Damon, I'd like if you came downstairs with me."

"Why?"

"Wouldn't you like to see Nova?"


	3. Looks Like a New Transition

**A/N:** Bit of a slow start for this, I apologize!  
After this I'm going to need a couple of more chapters for _Devil in Me_ before I update again because I'm starting the cross overs nice and early so get ready lmao

There's actually a lot I was able to do using the Vasiles as a bridge between Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries.

xoxo  
KurakiChan

* * *

03: Looks Like a New Transition.

Zina had him bring down clean clothes, a hair brush, scissors, and bowl of water. She found her sister's weed stash and another pack of cigarettes still hidden in the boarding house, and grabbed a blood bag before they ventured down the basement steps. "Keep in mind," she warned him in a hushed voice, "she still isn't whole. But I can confirm that the coke, angel blood, and nephilim blood are entirely out of her system. If she was a human she would be a vegetable. Be delicate."

When the door opened, Damon saw her sitting on the floor facing the wall with her back to them. His breath caught in his throat; Zina urged him into the cell as she stood in the doorway. She had hope that maybe they could keep the door open at least while they were there with her. She had to try to find out first. She bit the inside of her cheek with anticipation.

"Nova…" Damon breathed as he practically dropped what they brought onto the cot. "_Dolcezza_ please look at me…"

"No," she replied hoarsely. Anyone could see the pain and breaking all over his face. "Thanks to Katerina, I look awful with short hair."

Relief flooded through Damon. That was all she cared about was her hair? He smiled softly with tears threatening to brim in his eyes and sat behind her without her noticing. Zina watched as he grabbed the brush and started gently brushing out the knots at the ends of her short hair. Nova jumped at the touch until she realized it was just Damon and what he was trying to do. "Let me fix it," he spoke quietly as he brushed. "Just let me fix it…"

They sat in silence as Damon carefully brushed out what was left of her hair. From time to time he would dip the brush in the water before brushing through her hair. Once it was damp and brushed out he took the scissors and cut through the choppy and uneven ends. Only once had Damon ever cut her hair before, and it was two inches tops off the ends. He moved carefully and precise until every hair was even around her shoulders. When he was finally finished he asked again for Nova to look at him. She hesitated for too long of a moment before turning slowly at last.

"There she is," he smiled with tears in his eyes as he held her face. He brushed off some dirt with his thumbs. "I think it was time for a new look anyways. We also thought a little bit of spoiling was in order if you're going to keep playing nice."

Still Nova held a blank, careless look in her green eyes. "I barely have the energy to breathe let alone deal with fighting off either of you two and the probable army above."

"It's just us," Zina told her in the doorway. "Life moves on, sister. From what I gather, Elena and Caroline are packing to go to Whitmore College."

She raised a brow slowly as Damon took a face cloth to the blood and dirt on her face. "Where's Stefan?"

"Soul searching," Damon replied mockingly. "Went to go get rid of Silas' body and took off via text. Bonnie too after she closed the door to the Other Side."

_Something is not right…_ Her gut and mind screamed at her. She tried to think about the pieces, to put them together, but she just didn't care enough. Not about Stefan.

"I thought leggings and one of my shirts might be in order," he half smiled as he grabbed the clothes. Nova didn't argue or say anything; she just allowed him to help her change into clean clothes. Zina noticed the faintest of scars that remained up and down the pale skin of her sister's back.

"Where's Zarya?" Nova hissed hoarsely as she curled her knees back to her chest with her back against the brick wall.

"Thought your humanity was off," Zina quipped.

"She is the last human of our clan Zina," her teeth were grit as she glared coldly up at her sister. "Not even she deserves death by my own selfish gain. I am a vicious, heartless monster but I do not believe in stripping a person of their free will."

They were quiet a moment. Damon looked back at Zina who sighed and shrugged. "Dean Winchester died with the Mark of Cain on his arm and came back as a Knight of Hell. I hoped her old friend Nick would find her first, but Dean had."

Nova sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes closing, and leaned her head back against the wall. Her head started to loll about slowly until she was actually shaking her head 'no'. Another rush of breath and her eyes opened again. "It's worse than that. There is more than that."

"How would you know?"

"How _wouldn't_ I know?" She groaned, holding the sides of her head. "They haven't stopped."

"What?" Damon grew concerned and reached out to her. "What's been happening, Nova?"

"Horrendous visions. Over and over again. I don't see green eyes and Zarya anymore, I see blue ones."

Zina visibly stiffened at the mention of blue eyes. A chill crept up her spine, haunting her. Her lips parted slightly; she could have sworn the temperature just dropped a few degrees. She tried not to jump when she heard her name echoed in the depths of her mind without her own voice. By that point Nova noticed something had changed in her sister's demeanor and attracted Damon's attention to it.

"Zina?" He stood and called to her. "Zina, you look like you saw a ghost at the mention of some eyes. What's going on?"

She shook her head a little and put a hand on her forehead before backing out the door slowly. "I just… I need to check on something. Blue eyes mean Lucifer generally always. Go and tame the wounded, wild animal while I figure something out." Without another word she dashed upstairs and into the woods through the back.

"My fucking sister is alive again." Nova broke the silence at last.

Damon pinched the bridge of his nose from Zina's vanishing act before turning back and sitting on the floor with Nova again. "Just so you know, so is Jeremy." Her eyes seemed to widen at the news. "He wouldn't really give any details which I find pretty suspicious, only that Bonnie was able to drag him back through the veil before closing it entirely. He's wanted to see you just as much as I have I think, but it wasn't a wise idea with your given state…"

She nodded slowly, her countenance still blank and cold. "If there is a God and he thinks his games are amusing then I can't wait to kick his ass. What did she threaten to get her way down here?"

"Nothing, actually. Being on the Other Side for so long she's been able to see a lot of things. She came to warn us about Lucifer and Remiel. Apparently Remiel wants to take the entire line of Vasiles she created and turn them into mindless puppets to dominate Heaven, Hell, and everything in between. Not even Zina thought it would be a fair fight with you dessicating and detoxing down here."

"If that's all true, and what I've been seeing is as well, then Lucifer has Zarya right this second. He must want to break her."

"Do you care though? Do you fear for what he might do to her?"

"Her dealings with Lucifer were prior to meeting me. If anything happens by his hand, it wasn't a fault of my own."

"Seriously, Nov? Even if it was your fault would you give a damn?"

"I'm not turning my humanity back on, Damon. Terribly sorry to continue to disappoint."

She crossed her arms over her chest and looked away like a petulant child. At the very least, she was home in Mystic Falls yet again. There she was, right in Damon's reach. Perhaps instead of keeping her locked in the basement dessicating until she either withered or turned it on, what if he just let her live? He would have to keep a watchful eye on her to make sure she didn't start chomping on the police force or douches hitting on her at a bar, but maybe she could still stand by his side. Maybe, just maybe, he could bargain and work something out with her. Slowly his hand reached and grabbed the blood bag which caught her eye immediately.

"You want to keep your humanity off? Fine. But there will be ground rules laid out if you don't want to remain in this cell for the rest of the eternity."

"What sort of ground rules?"

"To start, no leaving Mystic Falls without being accompanied by myself. And no shredding through the town either. You go back to being hardass Nova Vasile - _within reason._ No mass murder, no compelling people to kill one another for sport, and no dropping bodies."

She scoffed and sneered. "And what do I even get if I adhere to all of that?"

"You get a life, Nova. You get to terrorize everyone because you don't care about anything. Compel yourself a teaching position at Whitmore for all I care and harass Elena. But stop trying to murder everyone in your wake so there is a pile of bodies at the foot of your throne."

"I am not a queen, Damon," she bit back. "I'm a warrior. That is exactly where the bodies belong."

"That's exactly what those stupid angels want you to believe. They've been planning this entire ordeal for eons now. If Lucifer does have Zarya then we're already in trouble. Lucifer has taken hold of Auriel Cressida. That Moore witch that saved Lethia's life? She was also the coworker at Zarya's diner in Pike Creek. Remiel is back in her original vessel, Runa Vasile. We need all hands on deck right now, Nova. We need you. You want a goal to make it easier to get through coexisting without mass murder? Your goal is ending the lives of two archangels once and for all and then the entire Vasile empire is yours." He held out the blood bag towards her. "Can you play the game, _dolcezza_?"

Out in the woods Zina had crashed into a tree and fell to her knees panting. She had wanted to stop running miles back but couldn't find the will to stop. Her breaths came out in a visible fog even though it shouldn't have been that cold outside yet. She heard her name echoed through the trees and her mind yet again which brought her shakily to her feet. Her dark eyes looked around quickly, unable to find anyone. In the setting sun her dark hair glinted a shade of sapphire blue.

"Zina…" She heard much clearer that time. "Now there's a Vasile who can accomplish goals."

_That voice…_ the ravenette shuddered. Bits and pieces began coming back from her escape of the Other Side. In truth, she blatantly lied to Damon and Elena. Zina had no idea how she returned from the dead. One moment it was all chaos on the Other Side and she was desperately searching for her bracelet after sending Nick Rowell on his way, the next she was clawing her way out of her European grave in the white gown they dressed her in. Flashes began to bombard her, sending her stumbling backwards into a tree. There was darkness and flames all around her. Had she been sucked down into Hell just as Nick managed to find his way from Heaven to the Other Side? It really had been havoc for some time, hadn't it? An ice cold hand gently clasped down around her shoulder and she instantly spun around.

Lucifer smirked coyly down at her. "Still a bit jumpy because you've been dead for well over a century or was it the Moroi who took advantage of you?"

Zina bit her tongue rather than lashing out as she took a cautious step backwards. She knew exactly who he was and what he was capable of. She also knew he was using Riel's magic to parade around in Nick Rowell's face again. He had to be terrorizing Zarya, unless he'd just become attached to Nick's features. "Maybe it's because your hand feels like an icicle," she chose to quip back with instead.

He chuckled lightly. "Most people think I burn hot… it's quite the opposite in fact."

Another careful step backwards. "What is this then? Why are we here and how am I alive? I _know_ I couldn't reach my bracelet before that Bennett witch closed the veil."

"No, you couldn't. I tried getting Abaddon and Carina to retrieve it for me, but not even they could manage a task so simple. Of course I had to enlist the help of a couple of actually useful Vasiles who weren't terrified to hear from me again. I had just enough time to connect your spirit to your bracelet and that to your body."

Zina gasped a little with the realization. "Why? Why the hell would you bring me back?"

"Keep thinking, little Zina. I know it's all coming back to you chunk by chunk. I've got some time before I go check on Rya."

_For all the stars in the sky,_ she thought with horror, _he really does have Zarya… Who else of the Vasiles are helping him though? Who would be so foolish as to-_

Mid-thought she was consumed by darkness and spat into fire. She could hear people yelling, screaming, begging. Her entire body, or lack thereof, was frozen to the core. She couldn't move or add to the screaming. She could only listen to the melodic and sadistic voice in her ear.

"_Go find your sister. Find your sister and sway her away from Remiel's influence. Help build her up, but never let that pesky humanity return. That wouldn't help us very much, now would it? No, leave her humanity off and guide her right to me. Bring me your sister, Zina."_

Her breath shook as much as her legs. Her dark eyes had gone vacant as she was submerged into the words once again. Part of her mind still fought, strangely wanting to make amends with her sibling. Zina had a second chance at life; she didn't want to see her twin suffer through something like addiction, and she also wouldn't mind finding Katherine. But what she wouldn't give to be able to see-

"Don't you want to find that daughter of yours?" Lucifer spoke in her ear with his frozen hands on her shoulders. "She is still very much alive and you know that as well as I do, Zina. You know there are no killing dhampirs so easily."

Zina closed her eyes slowly and focused all her might on her mind. She knew Lucifer could get inside her head with ease. She knew he was already there puppeting her about like a marionette. What he didn't know about her though was just how much control she had over her own mind with her psychic abilities. Zina allowed him to control one half of her mind just as he wanted, but one half she kept under a tight lock and key. There was good in Zina Vasile somewhere, and she locked that good away so Lucifer couldn't damn it. She shut away the part that gave a message to Nick Rowell for Zarya; the part that just longed to live and feel the sun again. In her own way when she opened her eyes, Zina had shut off a part of her own humanity by locking it away.

"Yes," she answered at last with nothingness in her black eyes, "I want to see Katia."

Behind her, Lucifer practically grinned. His devilish blue eyes flashed a dangerous scarlet. "Then what is it you're going to do for me, darling?"

"Take Nova away from Remiel. I'll deliver her right to you."

Hesitantly, Nova reached out and wrapped her delicate hand around Damon's and the blood bag. He jumped slightly with surprise when he felt her touch. "I will play this game," she told him. "But we work together as one. And at the end of it each of our enemies will lay slain at our feet, _iubițel_. Deal?"

Damon was hesitant to agree. He knew what 'working together as one' would likely mean from her mouth, but he already swore he would murder anyone in their wake for Nova. If he could just prove it to her and show her how strong they were together, then maybe at the end her humanity would return. Finally, he nodded. "You've got a deal. Let's work on those rusty people skills."


	4. I Can Turn You Around

04: I Can Turn You Around.

Not a damn person was allowed in that basement. Not Zina when she returned, not Elena, not Jeremy, only Damon. Multiple times a day he would be up and down the stairs with clothes, notebooks, snacks, liquor, you name it. He wouldn't tell anyone how Nova was doing when they asked, only that he had the situation handled from there on out. Zina continuously urged that it was of great importance but Damon told her to back off. On the very last day of Elena being home before venturing off to Whitmore she was grabbing a few miscellaneous things from the Boarding House. Caroline had joined her and Zina remained in the library reading. All three of the female vampires heard the cell door open again and paid no mind until they also heard heels clicking their way down the hall and up the stairs. They all raced into the living room as Damon emerged from the basement door with Nova in tow.

At times he had started to think her humanity was seeping through in that basement. He spent so much time with her again it had felt nice. He surprised her by smoking with her on more than one occasion again, both weed and even a few cigarettes, and she was so docile it was like nothing ever changed. They would smile and laugh at inside jokes when no one else could hear. She would relax curled up to him again. But deep down Damon knew better, he just didn't care anymore. He realized he couldn't blame Zarya for wanting to stay by Dean's side even though he was a demon. As long as you were by the side of the person you loved.

"N-Nova!" Caroline stammered out first.

"Yes, Barbie, it's me," the slightly older Romanian quipped back before bee-lining to the bottle of whiskey on the table. "Alert the media because the queen is back again. Not guilty; no guillotine for me today." She smirked.

"Damon," Elena started off slowly, "what's going on? You haven't said anything in almost two weeks."

"Well obviously I think Nova is well enough to not be some caged animal," came Damon's daunting answer. "She's fine. We have a lot to deal with with archangels on our plate. Nova is a better ally than prisoner."

"See what good behavior gets you?" Nova smirked over her glass before drinking the liquor it contained. "Now," her gaze wafted slowly towards her sister, "how, on this gods damned and bleeding Earth are you lively to terrorize me when Bon-Bon closed the veil?"

Without anyone noticing, a glint of red flashed through Zina's dark eyes before she mimicked her twin's smirk with a hand on her hip. "Come now, sister, do you truly think so lowly of me?" She jostled the hand not on her hip around, flaunting her ruby bracelet. "Death dances silently in everyone's shadow. And she doesn't give a damn. Why give a damn about her?"

Nova set her glass down on the table and the two sisters approached one another. The other three vampires in the room held their breaths and watched with deep anticipation. None of them could guess how the interaction would go.

"Why give a damn about you, _soră mai mică_? Why have you come back to personally terrorize me in the flesh?"

"I have been waiting on my revival since the day Niklaus ripped my beating heart from my chest. I have always known who I was just as Katherine did. While seeing your face in person makes me want to just break it over and over again as it heals, it can wait until we fend off the angels wanting our heads and the others wanting out bodies."

"How do I know any word that escapes your mouth at this very moment is anything of truth? You coaxed me nearly to my death while I was under the hunter's curse and you have done nothing but make attempts on my life since then."

"You are my sister, Nova. My twin. We were damned from the start and mother dearest knew that. You are mine to kill if anyone will and until I'm allowed such a fight I have no choice but to stand beside you. In the entire history of our blood not a single pair of twins have been able to coexist."

Nova quirked a brow when she understood where her sister was headed. "You want to work together through the curse of the twins? For what?"

"We have a common goal - we don't want to be Remiel's puppets. Lucifer has Zarya right now as we speak, or bicker. Angels continue to hunt us under Michael's direct orders from eons ago. Remiel is hunting down those closest to her blood first and foremost. That's generally the girls whose eyes light up nice shades of purple when their power gets going. Kind of like how yours turn violet." Her head tilted to the side. "What about you wouldn't Remiel want after Runa wears away? It's not like Zarya is going to say 'yes' with good reason anytime soon."

_Besides,_ she thought darkly, _she's under Lucifer's wings too. He's the only one who can cut through her._

The sisters were silent for a long while just staring down one another. Finally, Nova smirked and held her hand out to Zina. Everyone realized when they saw her nails that Damon must have helped her fix and paint them again. "Let's build an empire and crush some angels then, _soră mai mică_."

Zina's brows raised with a brief wave of surprise before she mirrored her sister's smirk and took her hand. As soon as their fleshes touched their eyes briefly illuminated their hibiscus and violet. Neither of them actually trusted the other, knowing they had to be up to something. Once they let go, each of them took a chair beside one another and looked to the latter three. Elena, Damon, and Caroline kept looking between the two with astonishment and, quite frankly, fear. Either of them could snap or be plotting something at any time. Looking between the twins they found it difficult to differentiate. If Nova's hair hadn't been cut and they didn't dress so drastically different, they could almost be doppelgangers. The biggest defining difference was Zina's pitch black eyes.

After a stiff minute, Nova's gaze wandered to Elena. "You're actually attempting that college thing, aren't you?"

"Y-yeah," she stammered back. "Caroline and I… we actually have to leave shortly…"

She nodded slowly, not once breaking eye contact. The coldness in her emerald eyes sent a chill down Elena's spine. She opened her mouth to say something else when a phone started to ring. Damon slipped Nova's phone from his pocket and tossed it to her, having forgotten to before. The ID was blocked but Nova didn't care in the slightest. "Now, who's got the stomach to call Nova Vasile fresh out of rehab?" She purred violently.

"Her niece, actually." Everyone's eyes widened when they heard the response. "How quickly can you and my mother get to Lebanon, Kansas?"

Nova scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Nice try but the last time I was conned into heading towards Lebanon I got duped by a cousin and Knight of Hell. All set with your girl scout cookies today, kid."

"It's Katia Markov-Vasile you emotionless, narcissistic psychopath. Put my mother on the line or put me on speakerphone. I'm quite certain you're surrounded by vampires regardless currently, are you not?"

She flicked her tongue across the roof of her mouth before pressing the speaker button on her screen. "Funny how you have a mouth like your mother when she gave you away."

"I had a call to make," Zina argued, jumping out of her chair. "You couldn't possibly understand what happened to me!"

"Argue a different time, ladies. I'm not reaching out to you after being off the grid for a feather under a century for shits and giggles. Zarya's in a lot of trouble and I actually need you two lunatics to help me out."

"I will be there as soon as I can, Katia," Zina answered first with a cold glare locked onto her sister.

"Like I can trust you to team up with your long, lost daughter off in Kansas," Nova scoffed and stood. "Welcome to the 21st century; do not throw up in my car."

"Ah, not so fast ladies," Damon chastised, grabbing both by the backs of their collars. "_Dolcezza,_ we already had an agreement about you stepping foot out of town and Zina, none of us trust you in the slightest yet. Coming back randomly from the dead and all, you understand. We take _my_ car, _I_ drive, and _neither_ of you hurl in my car."

"If Zarya had spent any more time in your psychotic town she would have been damned a lot sooner than right now," Katia scolded them all. "I don't give a damn what's going on in Virginia, just get to Kansas and make yourselves useful!" Without another word Katia ended the call.

With her eyes darting between Damon and her sister Nova slid her phone into her back pocket. A smug had begun to tug at her unusually pale lips. "Enthralling already. I'm going to go take a real shower, put on some well deserved makeup, and then we get to take what will probably be the world's worst road trip."

"I'm uh…" Elena started as she and Caroline backed towards the door slowly. "We're uh… we have to finish packing…"

Nova waved them off without so much as looking in their direction. "When you've had enough of trying to be a teenager and going to college for good grades give me a call." She walked between Zina and Damon, lightly brushing past each of their shoulders, and upstairs.

Once she was out of earshot _and_ the shower was running, Elena gave a slap to Damon's arm. "Do you seriously think this is a good idea?" She whisper-yelled as quietly as she could.

"She's only off the drugs and blood high," Caroline added just as quietly. "She's still a…"

"A what, Caroline?" Damon half snapped at an octave higher than the girls had been using. "A _monster_? Guess what: it's exactly what she's said from day one she is. It's what we all are. Have fun at college, Elena." He too then ventured up the stairs and into the bedroom.

Elena's eyes remained fixed on the stairs where she watched both vampires of her sire line walk away. Caroline's gaze held on Zina questioningly. The young twin was also watching the stairs for a moment before wafting over to the girls. "They weren't always like this," the brunette and youngest vampire commented at last with her gaze still on the stairs.

"Damon came back here before Nova, right?" Zina asked softly. "He came back when Stefan had."

She nodded and finally her head turned away from the empty stairs, her arms wrapping around herself thoughtfully. "Damon didn't talk about Nova borderline at all when he came here. Stefan never said anything either, but you could tell there was something more there. He had a reason for doing the things he did and it wasn't about finding Katherine."

Zina looked up at the top stairs one more time. For a moment she could picture her sister walking down them with her flowing hair and glowing grace. She could see Nova dragging her nails tauntingly down the wood banister, her signature smirk on her signature maroon lips. Part of her still loathed Nova deeply; wanted to watch her hurt. But she realized there was another part that actually didn't like to see her sister hurting and feeling nothing because of it. Unknowingly, her right hand had risen and rubbed an ache she was feeling in her chest above where her heart would be.

* * *

Zina couldn't say she was surprised when she found herself sitting in the back of the Camaro. She didn't mind in the least though as she watched the subtle interactions between her sister and Damon that anyone else likely would have missed. Nova even laid her hand on top of his in the middle between them. Even without her humanity Damon Salvatore was still a person completely separate from the world to her. Whatever she went through, whatever fires she walked, Nova Vasile was sworn and smitten to Damon. Zina wondered from time to time if there really was ever anyone out there like that for her. It wasn't 100 percent confirmed that each and _every_ Vasile woman had a soulmate out there. Maybe some just weren't meant to find that kind of loyalty and affection…

"Damon," the slightly younger Vasile chimed nearly an hour and a half into their silent drive towards Lebanon, "why did you return to Mystic Falls in 2009 when Stefan did?"

"Tch," Nova scoffed and directed her gaze out the passenger window, "what does it matter to you?" When Zina didn't answer, her emerald eyes slid slowly onto Damon as he stared ahead at the highway. He looked like he was actually contemplating an answer.

"The same reason why I came back in 1994," he started to answer at last. His pause kept both women on their toes awaiting the reason. "I knew Nova wouldn't follow me when she found out I was in Mystic Falls if she ever came looking. Granted, I ended up being wrong, but I wasn't for a while." He noticed Nova's eyes shift back out her window.

"So you came to Mystic Falls in 1994, left, and still came back in 2009? Why?"

"Why are you asking?" Nova hissed. "I thought you were all knowing from being dead."

Zina made a slight face and crossed her arms over her chest. "I couldn't exactly keep tabs on _everyone_ you know. I'm not God, if He even exists. I'm just trying to figure out how everything has seemed to gravitate back towards Mystic Falls for you lot; what it was that got us here." She gestured to the three of them in the car.

"Because Mystic Falls is my home," Damon responded before Nova could even think about shutting down the conversation. "And it became Nova's too the day her boat landed on our harbor. So much has happened that it will drive you away and bring you right back."

Zina nodded slowly. A smile was attempting to tug at her lips but she wanted the conversation to continue in the right direction. "You lied then," she told him boldly. Both of them glanced in the mirror back at her. "You weren't under the impression that Nova wouldn't follow you; you knew fully well that she would eventually. Stefan had, you had, it was only a matter of time. You were trying to bait her. You wanted her to come home."

Nova was trying her best to tune out the conversation and allow the two to continue as if she really weren't there. Had it been a purposeful conversation? An attempt to turn her humanity back on? Zina said she hadn't given a damn about that, but she knew she couldn't trust a word out of the woman's mouth. She was trying so desperately not to hear them that she didn't notice the half smile making its way to Damon's face.

"I suppose I could have been," he admitted with a small shrug. "I wrote her everyday." He knew that piqued _both_ sisters' interest no matter how hard Nova wouldn't allow it to show.

"What do you mean you wrote her everyday?" Zina furthered as she leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands, genuinely invested in the conversation. "I didn't figure texting was a big then yet but," she trailed off and shrugged.

Damon chuckled a little, his eyes glancing at Nova for the quickest second. "It wasn't, but they weren't letters I ever sent."

"Didn't figure so since I never got any," they heard the older Romanian mutter.

"They're still there," he move obviously looked over at Nova. "At the boarding house. If you wanted to read them when we got home."

Slowly she looked over at him with the same cold, emerald eyes. "Only the ones that detail your murders and plots rather than all of the feelings I'm sure you poured in so you could remain so nonchalant to everyone."

Zina sat back with wide eyes as Damon took his entirely off the road to look her sister dead in the face for a solid minute. Not once did the vehicle jerk or even sway. "I guess you'll have to find where I hid them first then." He smirked before returning his eyes to the road.

* * *

[Flashback; September 8, 2009]

"Damon," Stefan breathed stiffly when he saw his brother standing in the doorway of his balcony.

His lips pulled into a wolfish smirk, steel blue eyes guarded and closed off of any emotions to show. "Hello, brother."

"Crow's a bit much, don't you think?"

"Wait till you see what I can do with the fog." Damon waltzed in and started poking around at the trinkets in his brother's room.

"When did you get here?" He paused and started looking back out the balcony hastily. "Is Nova with you?"

He chuckled a little in a way that made Stefan skeptical. "Nope, no Nova. Just me again, Steffie."

"It's been fifteen years, Damon. Where's Nova and what are you doing here?"

"You asked less questions in 1994. Thank God it's over, though. I couldn't take another day of the nineties. That horrible grunge look? Did not suit you. Remember, Stefan, it's important to stay away from fads."

"Why are you here?" He pressed, growing irritated.

"I missed my little brother."

"You and Nova hate small towns. There isn't enough for either of you to do or murder."

"I've managed to keep myself busy."

"Without Nova?" He noticed the slightest twitch of his brother's eye. "You left that girl in the woods alive tonight. That's very clumsy of you. Nova would have finished her off to make sure."

"Since when are you all about Nova's existence, hm?" Damon barked suddenly, tossing some porcelain figurine off a shelf and shattering on the floor. "Why are _you_ here, brother? Because I'm fairly certain your answer can be summed up all into one little word… Elena. She took my breath away, Elena. She's a dead ringer for Katherine. Is it working, Stefan? Being around her, being in her world? Does it make you feel alive?"

"Does Nova? Is that why she hasn't been with you? Because of your obsession with Katherine? Elena is not Katherine."

His lips twitched until they tugged into a smirk again. "Well, let's hope not. We both know how that ended. Tell me something, when's the last time you had something stronger than a squirrel?"

"I know what you're doing, Damon. It's not going to work."

Yet still Damon pushed his little brother around until Stefan snapped back. The veins appeared beneath his darkening eyes before he whipped around and tackled Damon out of the open balcony doors. Somewhere in the fall Damon slipped out and let Stefan fall flat on his face onto the pavement. The elder brother stood unscathed by some bushes clapping slowly and mockingly. "I was impressed. I give it a six. Missing style, but I was pleasantly surprised. Very good with the whole face… thing. It was good."

"You know, it's all fun and games, Damon, huh? But wherever you go, people die." Stefan told him as he stood and brushed himself off. "Whenever you're bored because Nova isn't there to entertain your whims you leave a path of bodies and questions in your wake. Damon, please. After all these years, can't we just give it a rest?"

Damon's countenance remained unreadable through his cynically playful smirk. "Where's your ring? Oh, yeah, sun's coming up in a couple of hours, and, poof, ashes to ashes." Stefan looked quickly down at his hand and found his ring was gone. When he looked back up his brother's hand was extended with his ring in his palm. "Relax. It's right here." Hesitantly, Stefan stepped forward and grabbed the ring, sliding it back onto his finger. When he looked up to Damon, the dark haired brother grabbed Stefan by the throat. "I don't give a damn if she's not by my side currently, Stefan." The veins and darkness appeared around his eyes as his fangs extended. "For everything you've caused towards Nova and I, I promised you an eternity of misery, so I'm just keeping my word." He tossed Stefan away and into the garage wall and door effortlessly. "You should know better than to think you're stronger than me. You lost that fight when you stopped feeding on people. I wouldn't try it again. I think we woke Zach up. Sorry, Zach." He stuffed his hands into his pockets and vanished as he walked down the driveway.

Damon had wound up at the pier just as the sun was coming up over the watery horizon. He sat down at one corner of the dock and took out a small, black box hidden beneath an old crate. Opening it revealed a fair line of sealed envelopes taking up half of the box with a stack of paper, envelopes, and pen at the other half. Using the crate as a table he set down a blank piece of paper and took the pen in his hand. He looked up to the rising sun before pressing the pen to the page.

_September 9, 2009_

_Dearest Nova,_

_Would you believe who returned to Mystic Falls yet again? If you ever read these I'm sure you'll be bored to dessication with all of my lame stories and reruns to this town. I suppose everybody returns eventually, especially when you've lived well past your expected expiration.  
__I don't think you would know what to expect if you ever came back. Well, at least in the next fifty years or so. It would seem that Steffie finally found himself a rebound, and with the exact same face nonetheless. Would you believe it, dolcezza? A second face, a mirror image of Katherine Pierce on a simple human girl. You aren't going to actually read this so I shouldn't need to include a warning to not shred and burn this letter at the mention of Katherine.  
__I know what I've done, but you need to know that I have to see this through. I just need to know the truth, Nova. After all of this time I just need the truth. That's why I need to find Katherine. That's why I need to get into that tomb. I should have just told you to begin with because you would have made this so much quicker and easier. Plus you could be here to gloat if I've been wrong this whole time._

_I'll find you again one day, dolcezza. We have an eternity.  
__Love, Damon_


	5. We Will Not Follow

05: We Will Not Follow.

[Present]

"Why didn't you just tell Stefan when he asked?" Nova questioned. Her gaze still remained out her window. "Why didn't you tell him when I bailed in 1994?"

"It wasn't his business," Damon answered simply and matter of factly. "It wasn't the first time we separated and met back up and it wouldn't be the last. He needed to be focused on my shenanigans and I quite enjoyed him constantly looking over his shoulder wondering if you were going to pop out of the shadows."

"Okay, sure," came Zina from the back, "but he had to have realized at some point that something had happened between you two and she wasn't coming anytime soon to terrorize him."

"Stefan's a half wit, so I doubt that," Nova commented.

Damon chuckled a little. "It took him a while, but he realized. And when he did realize, and we found out Katherine wasn't in the tomb, he knew exactly what was about to happen and Nova's name was never mentioned again until she arrived."

"What… what happened when you found out Katherine wasn't in the tomb?" the youngest ravenette asked quietly.

* * *

[Flashback; December 12, 2009]

"She's not here…" Damon muttered as he finished checking the tomb.

"Damon," Stefan called for him across the way. Bonnie and Sheila were about to close the door, preventing every vampire from escaping.

"She's not here," the older brother spoke louder as the dark realization set in.

"What?"

_You were right. Honestly, I'd prefer to end it with that. If you were here it would, but you're not and with good reason. She wasn't there. She wasn't in that fucking tomb. All this time, all that's happened to us, it was for NOTHING. You were right, dolcezza. She played us. She played me. Again._

"_She's not here!_" He screamed before tossing the blood bag he had against one of the rock walls. It exploded and the casing dropped to the floor as Damon began to spiral. He looked to his little brother with some of the utmost pain in his face Stefan had ever seen. "How could she not be in here?"

"Damon, we need to get out of here. Now."

"It doesn't make sense. They locked her inside!"

"If we don't leave now, we're not getting out! Let's go, Damon!"

_What the hell am I supposed to do now? Find you? Even if I did I'd have to hunt you down ten more times just to get you to listen to me admitting that I fucked up yet again. Once again I allowed Katherine Pierce to cause me to push you away._

"You don't understand!" Damon yelled, backing up a step. Stefan could see his brother derailing at an alarming rate. "You have no idea what this cost me! And for _nothing_! Fucking nothing!"

Stefan's eyes widened suddenly. _Nova._ Leave it to Katherine Pierce to wedge herself once again between Damon and Nova. That had to have been what happened to Nova and why she _still_ hadn't shown up in Mystic Falls. She really wasn't going to. "It's not worth spending all of eternity down here. Katherine is not worth it! Whatever happened between you and Nova because of her we can fix, Damon. Nova will understand you better than any of us I'm sure. But we need to get out of here now. Please, Damon. However you want to see it just do it for Nova, _please_."

_I'm so sorry, Nova. If you do return to Mystic Falls and I'm still here, I hope you turn around without saying hello. You won't like what you're going to see and I don't deserve your sympathy, empathy, or any general affection. I hope if you do come back to Mystic Falls you give Elena hell just for having that bitch's face. I don't foresee you liking Elena anyways._

Just before Elena could go rushing into the tomb to save both brothers, they emerged slowly. Her doe-like eyes widened massively when she saw Damon and the utter pain visible across his countenance. Stefan held a hand up as if to ask her not to say anything to him. She didn't, and he vanished without a word. She asked Stefan if they should check on him and what happened. At first, he wasn't certain how to respond.

"Damon suffered a great loss tonight," he finally admitted to Elena. "So great that I'm not certain about the extent. Just know that right now he's hurting and there are things he can't take back. We should give him space."

_You know what? Don't come back to Mystic Falls. Ever. I really hope you don't because it's only going to destroy you. Why am I still going to be sulking and causing trouble in this hell hole? Well, it's all I've got left. So until Stefan or someone actually kills me or successfully dessicates me, I'll keep on keeping on. Just don't ever come back here, especially not for me. I don't know if you've realized it by now, Nova, but I'm not worth it. Move on. Keep doing great things._

Damon had returned to the boarding house and sipped on a glass of bourbon before getting angry and throwing it into the burning fireplace. He stormed upstairs to his room and threw a few books, glasses, and his chair around. As he ran his hands through his hair, one book in particular still half on the shelf caught his eye. It was the only book still on that one shelf while the rest were missing in gaps. The cover stared back hauntingly in his hands; the original _Dracula_ from 1897. He opened the cover slowly and Bram Stoker's signature made his chest ache.

_To Nova and Damon,  
__Two of the most enigmatic and amusing people I have met in some time.  
__Thank you for appreciating my work so deeply.  
__Bram Stoker_

He thumbed over the old ink as memories resurfaced. His fingers slid across the side of the pages until he found a spot in the middle and opened it. A spot had been cut in the pages where he or Nova would frequently hide things. That time a little, black, velvet box sat in the gap. Suddenly he slammed the book shut and put it back on the shelf. Damon slid the bed over a few inches before kneeling down and taking up a specific floorboard. Beneath laid his small, black box getting more full with letters that would never be sent to Nova. Sitting on the floor beside the open floorboard he wrote her again, something he hadn't done in longer than usual.

_I just hope you never step foot in this town again. And if you do it's not long enough to affect you in any way._

_I'm so sorry, Nova.  
__  
With whatever love I might have left,  
__Damon_

* * *

[Present]

"So there is an apology in the world somewhere for me for you getting duped by Katherine again?" Nova quipped. While Zina thought her sister was cold, Damon could tell by the tone of her voice that there was something genuine trying to claw through.

"Yep," he humored her. "I suppose I should mention that if you were to find my hiding spot _and_ read through all of the letters that you'd find Remiel's Stone too."

Surprisingly enough, Nova's eyes widened enough to notice. Her head jerked towards Damon and she fit a hand on her hip. "You did swipe it from me, you sly bastard!" She smirked. "Abaddon tried to get it and _pizdă_'s bracelet," her thumb jerked towards Zina. "She was _pissed_ when we found out I didn't have the stone anymore."

"Oh you better bet I took that thing the hell away from you," he glanced down at her with a smirk of his own briefly. "You can have it back when you can get to it."

She snorted and scoffed before putting her feet on the dash. "Yeah, yeah, turn my humanity back on and I'll get rewarded like a good girl with feelings." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"No," he chuckled. "I'm serious. You want to find that stone? Find where I hid those letters and after you read them all you'll find the stone."

"Why the hell do I have to read them all? How would you even know I did?" She paused, then added, "How many even are there?"

"Well, it's not the first letter, it's not the last, and not just one in specific that will tell you how to find the stone. So, yes, you have to read through them _all_ in order to find where to find the stone. And there's enough to fill a box side to side."

"What sized box?" Zina muttered in the backseat.

The three traveled with Damon telling Zina fond tales of himself and Nova practically dominating the underworld. Surprisingly, the young Vasile listened and questioned with deep interest. From time to time Damon would notice Nova smirk or grin with pride at certain memories. For a moment even Zina had faith that Damon just might be able to turn Nova's humanity back on. The real question was how long it would take and how much it would cost them.

"Lebanon at last," Nova muttered as they drove past the welcoming sign.

"I wonder if those Winchesters felt so out of place in Mystic Falls," Damon commented with a hint of humor. "Why Kansas though, out of 49 other states?" His face scrunched a little looking about the town.

"The boys are Kansas natives," Zina answered which surprised the two vampires in the front. "What? I was stuck on the Other Side for over a century. I met Siya when she joined us in 1993. She was Mary Winchester's partner for some time in the hunting field. Mary settled down with her family in Lawrence."

They nearly reached the outskirts of Lebanon when Nova assured them they were on the right path. The other two couldn't disagree when the sight of the Impala came into view. Damon pulled up right beside the car, mildly impressed that Dean kept a classic car so nicely. As their doors all shut, Katia appeared from a thick, metal door. She looked hesitant at each of them individually. "We're all in hunter territory, mind each of you," she told them as calmly as she could.

"They haven't tried to kill us yet in town," Damon told her. "We're just here to do a favor before I have to put the beasts back in their cages." He gestured to the twins behind him.

Katia's eyes landed on her mother with uncertainty. She was thankful that she shared more features with Zina rather than her father, but only because she knew exactly the kind of monster her father was. Somehow nobody knew much of anything about Zina Vasile. She knew it was Klaus to kill her mother, to rip Remiel's Stone right off of her chest with her beating heart. She knew it was Katherine Pierce to raise and eventually turn her mother before trying to murder Zarya and Siya. Whether she built a relationship with Zina or not there were things she needed to know.

"I have permission from Dean to let you three in though he still doesn't know who I called. I wasn't certain if I would need it since this is technically a bunker, but it was a bunker for a group of very anti-supernatural humans. Come on, I'm not sure how much longer Zarya's got."

Behind Katia came her mother, the supposed to be long time deceased Zina Vasile. After her Dean locked eyes with Damon Salvatore, both of them icy and guarded. Last, but not least, Nova walked slowly with her eyes grazing over every detail of the bunker. Dean's lips parted slightly when he noticed her hair had been cut up to her shoulders. The three vampires stood opposite of the hunter with Katia between them all. You could cut the tension in the air with a long enough finger nail.

"What the actual hell is this?" Dean started off slowly.

"The cavalry is here," Nova taunted with a cynical smirk about her darkly painted lips.

"Ignore her mouth," Damon told Dean as he stepped in front of Nova. "She's off the drugs and angel blood but she's not quite all there yet."

"And he's under the delusion that she will be ever again." Zina shrugged.

"You're all horrendous," Katia barked at them. "I've kept tabs on every single Vasile since the moment I heard the name. I have put my life in danger constantly, even this very second, but you three are so focused on yourselves that you have failed to see the larger picture here! Lucifer and Remiel are playing us each individually but they tried to work together to get Zarya. It didn't work and now they might be at odds."

"So what are we doing here then?" Nova hissed from Damon's side.

Dean hesitated in answering but he knew they were just about out of options. "Remiel is trying to fry her brain and body until she dies and awakens the dhampir gene in her. If she succeeds, Zarya will be weak and desperate enough to want Remiel's help. Remiel gets her vessel and we're all screwed."

Nova's lips and nose twitched. "That coincides with your removal of our free will crap, _soră mai mică._"

"Because what I told you is true," Zina quipped back. "Where is Zarya? How bad is she?"

As Dean and Katia led them to the basement, Dean filled them in on the recent events. Damon noticed the way Nova's face changed when Dean mentioned Zarya being tortured by Lucifer. They learned about the horrible mutilation to the girl's side and the after effects including the hallucinations. They realized that it hadn't been hallucinations; the archangels were forcing the visions upon Zarya's mind. When Dean unlocked the door they gathered round by the doorway to see the extent of the damage. Zarya was on her knees, still chained to the wall, with her head down and hair covering her face. The moment she realized there were people there again she lunged forward to attack. The chains kept her held back, but for how long?

Zina's breath caught in her throat when she saw Zarya's amethyst glowing eyes. "Yeah, that is some pretty rooted damage…"

"I thought some combination of us could break through," Katia offered. "I have a fair grip on my psychic abilities, but not enough to push past Remiel herself trying to control her vessel's mind."

Nova pat Katia on the back lightly as she watched Zarya and listened to the language she spat out. "I like your style, kid." She strut up closer to Zarya, ignoring everyone's protests, and remained just out of her reach while bending to speak in her face. "_Ne'evak 'ana pro_, Remiel." **(Fight me instead, Remiel.)**

Dean and Zarya's eyes widened at the language. While he couldn't understand a bit of what she spoke, Dean recognized it as the same 'Verbis Diablo' that came out of Zarya's mouth. Something about the room temperature seemed to be dropping slowly but noticeably as the two women began going back and forth shouting at each other in the frightening language.

Across the way, Remiel laughed in the midst of her fighting with Lucifer. "You may have hold over one sibling, Lux, but the other still walks in my domain."

Only for as long as it takes to change that ordeal, he thought as Remiel rose to her feet. "All I have to do is tip the scale in my favor, Remmy. I do that and you lose all control of the line you started. Let Zarya go now or Nova Vasile is mine."

"Nova Vasile is an iceberg that you will never be able to even chip." She replied arrogantly. "Nothing you offer could ever sway her. I have given her everything. Nova is mine."

"And Zarya is mine, Remiel," he bellowed back. "When you started this you unknowingly divvied these creatures up between the two of us. It was supposed to be an even balance of power but you've taken it too far. If I can get one of them to step foot into my domain, my protection, my grace, and under my wings then you lose every damn thing you've worked so hard to accomplish."

"You are quite right, dear brother. But do you recall when I said I was ten steps ahead of everyone and had back up vessels planned already?"

Surprisingly enough, Lucifer's eyes widened with the realization and how dangerous is truly was. "Nova…"

* * *

Damon and Dean held Zarya firmly against the wall. Zina put one hand to the girl's left temple, Nova's hand on her right, and Katia between the twins linking their hands together. Once the connection was made, it linked the four of them. Zina's eyes glowed red, Nova's violet, and Katia's dark blue. The amethyst in Zarya's eyes tried to waver into magenta but it seemed almost impossible. The three Romanian blooded vampires forced their psychic will upon Zarya's mind and Remiel's tirade inside of it. They each clawed and kicked and punched their way through until they were just that: through.

Each of the three found themselves in a different portion of Zarya's mind. Zina was surrounded by the overlapping memories of Zarya's real life versus her compelled one. Katia stood in a dark, barely lit hallway with a handful of odd doors, each one different than the last, lining both sides of the hall. At one point she came to a door with what she easily recognized as Lucifer's sigil burned onto it. Across from it was a different door with initials hand engraved in from a knife: D.W. Nova, however, found herself right in the snake pit.

"Nova Lerae Vasile," purred a dangerous voice in the darkness. "What a powerful woman you have become."

"Let me guess," Nova drawled boredly, "Remiel, right? I'm actually quite unamused by this entire ordeal. Just drop Zarya so I can go home."

"To Mystic Falls? You call that swamp your home? You could have had the entire country of Romania if not all of Europe if you tried hard enough."

"Not interested, actually. Surely you know how much I loathed my parents, since you seem to be an insufferable know-it-all." Remiel stormed out from the shadows and lunged to grab Nova by the throat but the vampire grabbed her wrist before she could make contact. "I don't understand your infatuation with Zarya. You can forcibly turn her into a dhampir or whatever if it's what you would like to do, but it's only going to make her despise you more because she doesn't want it."

"You think you've got yourself in such good graces because you allow the girl to have a choice? Choices were not something my Father actually gave any creature He created. I gave the lot of you existence! Together we will overthrow each of those who have forced us into submission and shadows."

"Sounds relatively enticing but," she snapped the archangel's hand back, cracking her wrist bones loudly, "that's something I intend on doing myself. I lived a long time without angel business in my life and I'd quite like to keep it that way."

"Says the one obsessed with power so deeply she would drink straight from the Lazarus well herself."

Nova scoffed and her maroon lips curved into a smirk. "I made a mistake when I drank all of that angel blood; didn't sit quite right with me. I have no qualms in merely spilling angel blood. I'll kill them all before you even get a chance because I so fucking sick and tired of the lot of you."

"You have no idea of the domino effect that would cause."

"You confuse me for someone with remorse."

Before Remiel could say anything else or attempt to strike Nova, the vampire brought her long leg up and kicked the archangel in her vessel's ribs. Whether it actually affected Remiel wherever she was or not Nova didn't particularly care. One way or another she was blowing off some steam on one of the angels trying to puppet her life. Remiel let Nova get in a few hits, making the vampire believe she was weak even if it was just in the psychic plane. Once Remiel saw the opening she knew Nova would leave her she leaped up, her eyes gleaming bright amethyst, and grabbed Nova with both hands by the head. Nova tried to shove her off but the archangel kept a firm grip while shouting in what sounded like Enochian.

Pain surged through Nova's skull. She let out a cry and started to claw at Remiel's arms to no avail. It felt as if the archangel's nails were digging into her head slowly. The Enochian turned into Verbis Diablo and Nova's eyes ignited violet. Nova tried shouting back in the Verbis Diablo but Remiel was louder and much stronger than she was.

Zina had ran about every which way to escape Zarya's memories. After so many they almost started to confuse and hurt her head. She could only imagine what Zarya must have felt. She ran until she came to a dark hallway with various looking doors on each side. A few of them Zina tried but they wouldn't budge. The further down she went she found the silhouette of someone. They were reaching for one of the doors' knobs.

"Katia!" she called when her eyes made out the figure. The young dhampir jumped and retracted her hand as Zina approached. Her eyes widened slightly when she recognized the sigil burned into the wood. "What are you thinking, Katia? I would not imagine you don't know what that symbol means."

"I know very well who's name that sigil spells out," Katia quipped back sharply. "What if opening that door would give us some kind of advantage over Remiel?"

"If you open that door here it's almost a guarantee you will open it to yourself. You have to tread carefully in the psychic plane, Katia."

"Are you afraid for Zarya, myself, or you?"

Remiel stomped her foot down on Lucifer's throat. "Good to see that I can still toss you around a room and be channeling at the same time," she smirked. "It will not be long now before I wedge myself nicely into Nova's mind. I just need a little door that I can leave cracked open to walk in and out of anytime I please."

Zina had put her hand on top of Katia's and they turned the knob together. They were blinded by a bright light that nearly deterred them at first, but once they stepped in further they could see clearly. For a split second Zina's eyes glowed her deep red hue and Katia's their dark blue. It was a blank room filled with nothingness except the archangel on the floor. Neither ravenette hesitated in running forward.

"Are you seriously getting your ass kicked by your little sister right now?" Zina chastised as they grabbed each of Lucifer's arms and started pulling him up to his feet.

"Do not underestimate Remiel like the rest of us have," he told them grimly. "Get out of here before she ruins what's left of Rya's mind."

"She'll die if that happens and you know it," Katia barked. "I get that you don't do the whole teamwork ordeal but it is kind of all hands on deck right now."

He scoffed. "You're wasting your time, all of you. They thought I had everything thought out and gone mad from eons in Hell? That was nothing compared to what Remiel has become."

"Do something she wouldn't anticipate then!" Any other day Zina would have seriously decided against scolding the devil but she was willing to take her chances then. "Her fighting you is a distraction until it's too late."

His eyes widened with realization just then. Generally he would handle such abrasive attitudes by killing the mouths it came from, but they proved useful. At last they were able to stand and he put a hand on each of their shoulders. "Go find Nova before Remiel can overpower her too."

"What are you up to?" Katia questioned.

Lucifer smirked. "A little surprise for my baby sister."

When his hand shot out and gripped Remiel's ankle so tightly the bones nearly shattered, the younger archangel felt a bolt of panic strike her. Lucifer's eyes opened a bright scarlet and he flung Remiel off of him. Once he was back on his feet he brushed off some of the dirt. Remiel snarled as she got to her feet, glaring at him mercilessly. What deeply infuriated her, though, was when Lucifer looked her in the eye and smirked with more arrogance than she had rage.

"Not today, Remmy," he told her as he held his arms out at his sides. "And not ever."

She lunged for him when she realized what he was doing but it had been too late. A bright light and violent, piercing, ringing brought her to her knees and incapacitated her momentarily. As it all ended there was a light thud. Remiel let out an enraged scream when the body of Auriel Cressida laid unconscious on the ground. Lucifer had given her up and returned entirely to the Cage. She had to work harder on Nova then.

"Not my sister, feather brains; that's my job!" Zina shouted when they found Remiel and Nova.

Katia and Zina ran forward for Remiel and tackled her off of Nova. The oldest Romanian vampire stumbled back and to the ground. Everything was spinning and her head was pounding. For a moment her eyes flashed magenta before she fell onto the ground, her head doing a light bounce. While the mother and daughter got tossed around by a slowly weakening Remiel, blood started to drip from Nova's nose and ears. Outside in the real world the same had begun to Zarya's body. Remiel had Zina and Katia held off their feet by their throats. Nova's eyes kept flashing between violet and magenta as the blood flowing grew heavier. Zarya's amethyst eyes outside were fading into a light pink shade. Dean was growing concerned about the blood. Damon knew they had to continue, but the fear struck him when he noticed the same thing was happening to Nova's body as well.

As Nova's eyes fluttered closed everything went dark. Remiel let out another cry upon realizing how her plan had gone so wrong. Everything around began to crumble and quake. Zarya was dying. Zina, Katia, and Nova were thrust away from Zarya in the bunker basement suddenly, all three of them smashing against walls and crashing to the floor. Dean and Damon exchanged frantic looks before slowly releasing Zarya. She fell to her knees, held up partially and limply by the chains that kept her shackled. Dean moved quickly to unlock them but Damon decided the snap the chains instead because it was much quicker.

"Zare!" Dean shouted frantically as he held her limp form in his lap. "Zare can you hear me? She's not breathing!"

Damon had gone to check on the three women but turned his head to look over at the hunter. "Nova isn't either but Zina and Katia are just unconscious. If I give Zarya my blood to heal whatever happened it might be too late and it could turn her."

Dean looked down at Zarya with fear and uncertainty in his eyes. What the hell was he supposed to do? What had Remiel and Lucifer done to them?

Nova's eyes shot open and were staring up at a bright blue sky. She jumped immediately to her feet to find herself in some empty park. Her eyes scanned the area for some sort of explanation when she was thrown halfway across the park. Remiel stood above where Nova had stood with a smirk and her arms crossed over her chest. "My brother was too weak when it came to breaking down Zarya because he seems to have grown a consideration for the tiny human. Let us see if you can handle a real round with _me_."

The vampire laughed as she got back to her feet and brushed off the grass and dirt. "Give me a break. My twin sister I barely ever knew existed has come back from the dead and already tried a tirade on my mind. I went from being the very last Vasile to one of many who were placed her by a sick plot. I have seen much worse than you think you can put on me."

"You have seen some very dark aspects of the world, Nova. Seen the disturbance of humanity. I admire you for everything and everyone you have shredded through in making a name for yourself. Work with me and you can be a goddess of death."

She scoffed at first but it quickly turned into a loud, boisterous, and mocking laugh that made Remiel scowl deeply. "Sorry to break it to you, hot wings, but gods are nothing in my wake. I went up against Niklaus Mikaelson. I dare you to come after me. _I am the thing that men fear._"

The pair went back and forth landing blows and tossing one another across the park. When Remiel grew bored she grabbed Nova by the throat and slammed her head down on the wood base of the sandbox. Her legs kept curling up towards her as she tried to pry herself free. "Have you any clue what this place is, Nova? No, of course you wouldn't. You've all been forced into darkness and submission by the hands of my Father and brother. You are all clueless little imps. This right here," she gestured to the park and especially the sandbox, "is the door to Heaven. When they are least expecting it, I am going to march through wearing your face and tear through every angel who does not bow to me. Then I will clip Michael's wings just as he swore to do to mine."

Nova kept feigning choking under the archangel's grasp as her hands reached for her boots unnoticed. Remiel kept blathering away about her feelings. She almost couldn't resist a smirk when she felt exactly what she was hoping for in her heeled boots. Nova's hands ripped her daggers right out and she immediately got the upper hand. "You know I never did understand what made monsters quake so deeply beneath my blades, but all of those heartfelt feelings are going to get you nowhere, angel. Especially not with my face."

Remiel's eyes had widened at the sight of the little weapons. She had recognized them immediately. It almost pained her to see two of her arrows in such a state. "You want to know why monsters fear those blades? It is because they were fashioned from two of _my_ arrows."

"So?"

"My arrows were my angel blade because I was special. They can kill anything except other archangels. If one so much as _grazes_ your skin the wound becomes necrotic. Maybe when Zarya stops being such a coward she will learn the extent of her power, including while using _my_ weapon."

"You just had to make it personal, didn't you?" Nova rolled her eyes. "Who knew angels had feelings? Now get the hell out of my head and leave us the hell alone. Or I'll use these on you in real life."

Remiel shook her head slowly without taking her eyes off of Nova's emerald ones. There really was no rhyme or reason to which Vasile got what physical traits from her or Lucifer. The only thing that was a given was half of them were hers, and half her brother's. And Nova Vasile had been born under Remiel's feather. She rose slowly and steadily which prompted Nova to step back with her blades. "You have no choice in the matter, Nova. While my brother might have weaseled his way into Zarya's head, I have a one way access to yours. You are not stronger than me."

"Did you miss the part where I said I challenged _Niklaus Mikaelson_? Turns out not even an Original can really compel me or keep me down." She smirked. "Then there was his brother Kol who sedated me with Deadly Nightshade. Thanks for that, by the way. Since you missed my standing toe to toe with the Mikaelsons I assume you also missed the theme to us Vasiles. You see, you worked so hard to make yourself this immortal stampede that will take the world and watch it burn, but what you failed to acknowledge is what aspect it is that makes us _exactly_ who we are."

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?"

Nova smirked and spun her daggers between her fingers. "Defiance. Ambition. _Rebellion_. Sound familiar yet? Because I know plenty more words synonomic with those rather than 'hope'. It turns out you weren't so strong and all alone in creating our existence. While I was detoxing, I saw some shit that really messed me up. At first I thought it was drug induced hallucinations but I'm beginning to realize that they were much more than that. And that night that you used your feather and Lucifer's to save Runa _and_ Saskia you screwed up. _Your_ feather saved Runa's life and ensured her further immortality and slower rotting when you were gone, but _his_ feather gave life to Saskia. _His_ essence is what truly keeps us going. And this entire situation is _fucked up._"

Remiel snarled and Nova could have sworn she saw fangs in the archangel's mouth. "You speak as if you know but yet you continue to know _nothing_. You cannot resist me, Nova. You might very well be the strongest of all of my girls, but none of you are stronger than _me_."

"That's the thing though, Remmy," she smirked at the archangel's growing rage, "we don't have to be. You're trying so hard that it's going to ruin everything you tried so hard to accomplish. We're going to take the Earth and watch it burn, yes, but it will never be done solely in your name. We each have our own goals to accomplish and we certainly don't need you interfering with any of it. Why don't you just sit back and watch your beloved brother fawn for your human equivalent?"

Remiel lashed out in anger just like Nova figured she would. They went back and forth some more when Nova noticed the scenery was changing. She blinked and the park turned into a hallway filled with doors. Remiel grabbed her throat again and slammed her against a wall beside one of the doors. Nova could just barely see some lines etched into the door. It almost looked like Lucifer's sigil, but less lining. No, it was a pointed 'V' with the infinity loop beneath. She growled low in her throat as the veins appeared beneath her darkening eyes before shoving Remiel off of her and into the door across the way. Her head began to throb, the pain increasing at a dangerously fast rate. Something seemed to give her a pull but in what direction she wasn't certain.

That was when she heard them.


	6. It's About to Get Heavy

06: It's About to Get Heavy.

Remiel spun Nova around so she was against the second door instead. Nova had slid into the corner of the doorframe as she felt something quake behind it. While Remiel choked her, her emerald eyes looked up for something in the wood. At first nothing had been there, but they both watched as four letters burned their way into the wood: _Z.M.C.V. _Both women knew immediately what those letters meant and had two completely opposite reactions to them.

"No!" Remiel shouted before grabbing Nova's head with her free hand.

Nova had already started to laugh. "You really underestimate that little brat, you know. To be honest, I think we all have." She winked and placed the bottom of her boot flat against the door as wings scorched beside the Z and V. Her head was throbbing and she finally realized the pull she felt was going to the very door she was against. That was when she heard them.

"_Nova!"_

For anyone else it would have been difficult to distinguish but her vampiric hearing could pick out Damon _and_ Zarya calling to her. She reeled up her leg and kicked Remiel off of her with as much force as she could muster just as Zarya's door unlocked and opened behind her. She flipped the bird to the archangel on the ground before disappearing through the doorway. Remiel chased after her, but the door slammed shut and locked leaving Remiel to scream and shout in darkness.

The Romanian was thrust back into her body at a speed greater than even she had anticipated. The amethyst vanished entirely from her eyes and she jolted upright with massively wide emerald ones instead. She came close to smashing heads with Zarya, stopping merely inches from the human girl's face. Every other person in the room remained still, uncertain about what was about to happen. With her humanity still off Nova was unpredictable. Neither Vasile's expressions were readable. Dean reached slowly for his gun.

"You returned to pry me away from Remiel," Nova stated. Even her tone gave away no hint about her intent.

"None of us are gonna fall into her insane plots," Zarya replied confidently. "None of us."

The air was thick with tension and silence. "You had no reason to do that. Our goal of coming here was accomplished. You risked putting yourself right back in Remiel's path by coming back for me."

A smile tugged its way softly onto Zarya's lips. "I had plenty of reason. And we still gave the bitch the bird. You did give her the bird, right?"

As they watched the scene unfold between the two Vasiles, the six found themselves seeing Nova's expression actually change. At first it was just a couple of twitches, but Damon amongst the lot of them could see the way her face softened slowly. Her lips parted as if she were going to say something but closed instead. After what felt like the longest couple of minutes in existence Nova finally stood. Her gaze remained fixed on Zarya a moment before she extended her hand to the kneeling girl.

"Thanks, kid."

It was more than enough for the raven haired hunter. She resisted the urge to grin as largely as she wanted and took Nova's hand, allowing the vampire to help her to her feet. Oddly enough, something about little Zarya seemed to make something stir within Nova. Zarya reminded her of herself, if only she had enjoyed life a little more. No, Zarya was what her life was like when she first turned. Everything was brighter, louder, more eccentric. She danced with Damon beneath starlight, moonlight, and streetlight. She could practically feel the music, the lyrics she sang. How had something so amazing become so muddled and no longer enjoyable? Where had she lost hold on the best of life?

Nova basically tuned everything out from then on. She found herself lost in old thoughts. Once all of the mediating was done, Damon guided Nova toward the stairs and door. He could see easily that something was actually getting to her. Damon took one last look over the railing as Zarya entered the room. Gods forbid whatever those five were about to hash out. She met his eye before he walked out the door. Something in her smile wanted to tell him that Nova would be okay again, but yet he saw so much of Nova in the same smile. Her features were a bit softer than Nova's, but he imagined that was what Nova looked like when she was younger. Considerably, Zarya should have actually been older than Nova in human years, shouldn't she be? Yet she looked barely legal to consume as much alcohol as she did.

Zina was surprisingly quiet when they began their trek back down to Virginia. A couple of times Damon glanced back at her through the rearview mirror to see her staring mindlessly out the window. He opened his mouth to speak when Nova's voice cut him off.

"What was it like seeing your daughter for the first time?"

The question took both of them by surprise, but not quite as much as how docile her voice actually sounded. Zina would have normally told her to go fuck herself had Nova asked with malicious intent, but even the elder sister seemed to lament the thought of Katia Vasile. She would have been Nova's niece anyways. "I'm glad she's alive," Zina started off quietly with her gaze still out the window. "She's a tough little _broscoi_."

"How do you know Romanian so fluently?" came Nova's next surprising question. "If you were raised by that Bulgarian _curva_ shouldn't she have taught you that tongue?"

"I knew who I was all my life," her sister answered simply. "_Tată și mamă_ shipped me away with my family bracelet. Katerina adopted me when I was just about three I believe? Perhaps younger. I was still in a Romanian orphanage. My first words were Romanian. My last words will be Romanian."

"You mean the _next time_ you die?" Damon teased with a smirk. "What were your final words the first time?"

She chuckled a little at the actual memory. "When Klaus found me, he gave me one more chance to surrender and marry him. I told him _aș prefera să ard_."

He looked over to Nova with a playful look on his face. "Romanian translate please?"

Nova's head turned so could meet his eye with an equally playful expression. Zina twitched a little hat neither of them were looking at the road. "_I would rather burn,_" she laid her accent on thickly for effect.

* * *

[Flashback; May 8, 1860]

When Zina awoke with a start from the vivid dream, she knew there was no denying it. It had been so long since she had a vision, especially since she turned. There was no time to waste. She rushed around carefully and quietly before Katherine even awoke to get her a ticket out of the country. By time she arrived back at their cottage home Katherine had woken up and Zina explained what she could as quickly as she could. Katherine hadn't wanted to believe her at first but she had known Klaus much longer. He was indeed coming for them at last.

"He is never going to stop," Zina told the brunette as she handed her the papers acquired that morning. "But I can buy you a head start."

"What are you talking about?" Katherine snapped when she realized everything was solely in her own name. "Zina, enough. We have to go."

"Yes," she smiled solemnly, "_you_ do. Niklaus is almost here as is, Katerina. If we both flee again he will find us too quickly. You are getting out of the country and going straight to America. It should be more difficult for him to find you by then, especially when you start people your name is Katherine Pierce."

"Zina this is madness! I did not raise you from being a whiny, human brat to become a martyr. That is not what I taught you. You and I, we-"

"Survive, I know. And you are just going to have to trust that I am going to. I do have a few tricks up my sleeve, Katerina."

It took about as much arguing as she thought it would, but finally Katerina was on her way to becoming Katherine and getting Klaus off her tail for a while. Zina took out a long since hidden away gown she had made when she saw it in the quickest vision before she turned. Her slender fingers ran over the mystical stone in the center of the broach and its stars and colors opened up to her. Sliding on the gown and her ruby bracelet she stepped into the center of the home to wait for Klaus.

The house wasn't safe from vampires as technically nobody owned it. In the short time it took for Klaus to arrive, he walked right in to be met with Zina in her white dress. "You knew I was coming," he smiled coyly at her. "Is this your surrender at last, luv?"

"Not today, and not ever, Niklaus," Zina swore defiantly against him.

He took a couple of threatening steps closer to her. "I really am trying to give you a chance to live, Zina. I know you have been partnered with Katerina Petrova. Come with me and I can make all of your pesky problems disappear."

"You will never find Katerina Petrova." Zina smirked up at him. "And one day, Niklaus, I will find both of you again. But so help me by whatever Gods might exist, I will _never_ marry you or anyone. _Aș prefera să ard._"

Having finally heard enough from the little Vasile, Klaus harshly rammed his hand through her chest. What he hadn't seen, however, had been the celestial, magic symbol that appeared on the stone just before he made contact. Zina heard her bones shattering the same vivid way she had in the vision. Blood poured down her lips that still curved into a smile. She shoved herself off of Klaus, dropping to the floor with her heart and the broach in his hand. He looked down to the object on top of her heart and watched as the organ began to turn black. After a minute it crumbled into small chunks of ice to the floor, leaving just the bloody broach in his hand.

* * *

[Present]

Zina had been staring out the window reliving the memory when something awful crept up her spine hastily. Saskia's face flashed before her eyes. When she looked ahead she noticed something in the darkness that Damon and Nova hadn't; there was a person in the road. She opened her mouth to yell but a wall of fire jolted up from the road itself. Damon quickly spun and skid away from the fire just for more to appear and send the car flying driver's side into a tree. Before any of the three vampires could react magic kept them painfully in place.

The exposed passenger door was yanked open and Nova forcefully dragged out. With a flick of the wrist the three vampires' necks snapped, rendering them all unconscious. Nova was quickly hauled off, and Riel Cressida fell to the ground beside the car. It took a couple of hours before Damon started to come to as his phone rang. "Matt found Katherine," Jeremy told him. "Where the hell are you guys?"

He groaned as everything slowly stopped spinning and looked around. "We got ambushed. They got Nova."

"Dammit! Did you see who it was? Katherine was mid-cat-fight with some lady who maced her. We think Silas might have mind-controlled himself some new friends out here."

"It's Auriel," came Zina's voice from the back. He hadn't even realized that she had awoken too. She dragged herself to the other side of the car and opened the door where the Moore witch still laid on her side. "They must have compelled her."

Damon groaned and tried to turn the car back on. After a few attempts the Camaro finally roared to life. "If Silas wants her bad enough to sic the whole town on her, that means we want her _more._ I'm beginning to think it was Saskia to take Nova then since we've already picked a fight with her archangel mom. Stay out of sight. You were the last person who Silas saw her with."

"Uh, that's the thing though, Damon… I saw Stefan today."

"Stefan?"

"Yeah, only… when he touched me, I felt a chill where my tattoo was."

"What are you talking about?"

"Right before I died, Silas grabbed me and I felt the same thing."

"Silas is gone. Bonnie turned him into a big piece of rock, remember?"

"I'm a hunter. Our whole reason for existing is to kill him. I know what I'm feeling, Damon. That- that was Silas. Not Stefan."

* * *

Nova's eyes opened to see darkness. Everything hurt her from her head to her toes. There were shackles on her wrists and ankles anchoring her to the center of her dark pit. She reached around in the dark until she felt something that made her skin burn. Deadly Nightshade. She had been put into a pit or cave of sorts filled with Deadly Nightshade. She let out a groan. "More morbid aesthetic, sure, but I've already been through this bit before," she called out to anyone who might hear her. "Whatever you're hoping to do to me won't work this time."

"Sure it will," Saskia's rather tired sounding voice resonated through the dark. "Oh, I'll tell Remiel that you're dead. I'll tell her it was slow because it will be. But I will not be your executioner, Nova. You are nothing more than a bargaining chip for me."

"Lucky me," she retorted back mockingly. "Do I at least get to know your master plan since you've already got everything ready to go? I think I much preferred being the last Vasile in existence."

"Sorry darling but that is not something any of us will ever achieve. Where there is one Vasile there are five more. While your eyes shine violet, I fear you are more like Lucifer than you realize."

"And that's a bad thing how? My other option is apparently Remiel and so far I've gotten a much worse impression. Don't you think if she really gave a damn about you she would heal you? I can hear the weakness in your voice. You're outliving yourself. Is that what I'm your bargaining chip for? Another couple of centuries?"

Nova never received an answer. She hadn't heard the nephilim-turned-vampire even leave but Saskia never spoke again. Was it day or was it night? Nova almost preferred Damon's feeble attempts at getting her humanity back on. At least that had a passion behind it. Remiel wanted Nova dead-dead for a reason; more than just because she pissed off the youngest archangel. No, Remiel felt betrayed because Nova still sided with Zarya. With Lucifer. Considerably, Nova really sided with no one but herself. Siding with someone meant you gave them enough slack to be let in which meant feeling things. Whatever Saskia thought she was about to do to Nova she would be sorely let down. Nova Vasile just didn't care. She didn't care that she was chained in a pit of Deadly Nightshade. She didn't care about what was coming next. She didn't care if Damon or anyone came for her. Ever.

She just didn't care.

And even if she wanted to turn it back on, she could no longer find the switch to do so.

* * *

"It was _mortifying,_" Elena told Damon over the phone as she walked across campus. He was nearing the driveway of the boarding house with Zina and a still unconscious Riel. "We just sat there in silence."

"Well, chances are if he knows about vampires then he knows about vervain." Damon told her.

"What a convenient time for this Maxfield fella to make a pronounced appearance…" Zina muttered as she stared out the passenger window.

"Whatever he knows, I'm going to get it out of him," Elena declared with determination.

"Have you tried violence?" the younger Vasile twin spoke loud enough to be heard in the conversation.

Damon rolled his eyes. "Don't be like the murder twins." He paused. "Did you at least threaten him?"

"Damon!" the brunette exclaimed on the other line. "You can't tell me not to be like them and then suggest basically the same thing."

He shrugged. "Trying to work on that reformed serial killer thing to set an example for Nova. Everyone around me is making it incredibly difficult."

Elena sighed. "I wish we could get ahold of Bonnie. Maybe she could at least try a locator spell or something. Do you really think it was Saskia to take her? Has Riel woken up yet?"

"Nope. Chances are if it was Saskia she compelled Riel to stay unconscious after her goal was completed. At least, that's what any vampire with brains and a master plan might do." The engine to the Camaro cut after he parked in the driveway.

A small groan came from the backseat suddenly. "Then consider her the oldest dumbass in history."

"I'll bring her in," Zina muttered.

Damon nodded and got out of the car. Elena gasped a little, still on the other line. "Stefan?"

"_What?_"

"Stefan's here!" He could hear the lightheartedness in her voice as the door opened slowly. "Right now!"

"Turn off your phone." Damon heard faintly in the background. His eyes widened. Jeremy was right.

"Elena, whoa! That is absolutely _not_ Ste-"

He looked down when he heard a beep. Elena had ended the call. That was when he realized he wasn't alone in the boarding house like he thought he'd be. Looking up from his phone he was greeted by an exhausted looking Katherine. "It's been a long summer, Damon."

"Good news," came Zina's voice nearing the door as she helped Riel walk. "We're down a Bennett witch and Vasile but we've got a-"

The black eyed Vasile froze in the threshold with Riel's arm slung around her shoulders. She met Katherine's nearly as dark eyes immediately, unable to look away. If her daughter wasn't ready to accept her being alive again yet then at least she was able to see the woman who raised her and cared for her like a motherly sister. It was a strange feeling to see Katherine Pierce in the flesh again. She knew _of_ what happened between Katherine, her sister, and the Salvatores, but she had still been learning her way around the Other Side then.

"_Katerina,_" the name rolled off of her tongue with a thick Romanian accent.

The once elder vampire smiled a little, trying to make it look like a smirk. "_Zina-Arete._"

Slowly, Riel took back her arm and stood on her own. She was still lightheaded with a throbbing migraine but she got the feel of the room. Zina took a step forward, standing beside Damon, once Riel released her. "You're much more human than I left you."

"You look miserable," Damon added icily.

"Please, I'm Katherine Pierce." She smirked first with arrogance at Damon then with a hint of pride to Zina. "I'm a survivor."

"I know I had just been thrown around in my own car, but I'm pretty sure I heard that Matt Donovan caught your tired, human ass."

Just then the house phone rang. Katherine sped to it before Damon could and answered. "Salvatore residence. Hello, Principal Weber, this is Elena. Oh, dear. We'll find him." She hung up and shrugged. "So Jeremy's been expelled. Elena will be cool with that, right?"

Damon grit his teeth and bit back his rage to deal with the situations piling up on him. "When I get back here, you're _gone_."

"Wait!" She called as he turned back to the door. "There's someone chasing me."

He looked over his shoulder at her with an icy glare. "Then run. Run far away."

"Wait!" Zina called that time. He resisted the urge to just toss her into a wall or the stairwell. "I thought we wanted Katherine more because of Silas. Let me deal with her while you handle Jeremy."

He nearly burst out laughing. "You're kidding me, right? Trust the twin we never knew existed who wanted Nova dead and then magically comes back from the dead? Plot twist! She was even raised by said Katherine! Yeah, because that's totally going to happen. Not unless Riel here can spell you two in a six foot box around the couch."

Zina crossed her arms over her chest barely any differently than a petulant child. "She's human now, Damon. She's borderline harmless. Do you think she knows how to be a human anymore? Let alone in this day and age? It's barely easy being a vampire when you've been dead for over a century. She's been a vampire for basically six centuries."

"She unfortunately has a point," Katherine spoke up. "I barely even had to resemble humanity when I raised her. The times were so much easier then."

"You taught me how to compel people without compulsion. Please stop talking right now." The ravenette Romanian sweatdropped. "Look at her, Damon. Do you think those scrawny, human feet can handle those Louboutin shoes? Do you think she knows how to have a job so she can even pay for anything? She's not ready for humanity in the 21st century."

"God, fine!" He finally huffed from being tired of hearing the two speak. "You know what? I don't even care." He threw his hands up in defeat as he backed out the door. "Come up with some horrendous plot that fucks us all in the end. Go ahead because I cannot possibly give enough of a fuck about whatever you two can think up when I've got Silas, Saskia, and archangels bouncing us around like tennis balls. Now if you don't mind, I have to try and compel or talk Jeremy's situation down." He flipped them both the bird with his keyring on the finger as he slammed the door behind him.

"I mean," Riel finally broke the silence after a solid minute, "I can't really blame the guy. I thought screwing with the Mikaelsons and Lucifer was bad?" She shook her head. "This is a whole new level of crazy."

Zina shrugged. "Then I guess we need to come up with things even crazier."

"Crazier than the original immortals and archangels?" Katherine scoffed as she poured herself a glass of bourbon. "That's going to take a lot of effort. We'll have to think and move quickly, _drugar_." She smirked. **(Comrade)**

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you so much to the handful of new follows/faves I have gotten and an even bigger thank you to _Vickie Dillard1_ for being the first to leave a couple of reviews! I can at least guarantee you that one way or another Nova and Damon will see it through to the end together. Everyone else... well... -shrug-

I've got a new promo up on youtube! Search me there or find it on my facebook page!

xoxo  
Kuraki-chan


	7. This Night Ain't for the Faint of Heart

07: This Night Ain't for the Faint of Heart.

"Please, for the love of I don't even know who or what anymore, tell me you're as sane as physically together as you can be right now, Thea," Damon sighed into his phone as he started the engine to his Camaro once again that day.

In New Orleans, Lethia smiled what she could manage. One hand held her phone to her ear while the other rested on her slowly growing stomach. "I'm… managing. I was hoping you'd call again soon. If you have a minute to talk that is."

"I am on my way to Whitmore because Silas is running around using Stefan's face and there's a creepy professor who seems to know too much about vampires. So if about twenty minutes can suffice then yes I have a minute."

"Jeez, can you guys ever just stop screwing around with bad guys?" She laughed a little. "You have a lot on your plate right now, it's nothing to concern you with."

"Don't give me that shit, Thea. Whatever you've got to throw at me go ahead and do it. I'm sure it'll be better than all the crap right now."

"It's not exactly good news, though, D…"

"Today, I really don't care."

She sighed with defeat. She knew better and had to tell _someone_. "If you're wondering how I am because of my link to Nova, I can't feel her anymore, D."

"What do you mean?"

"I just found this out this morning so not even Klaus knows… I'm just kind of chilling alone in the Quarter right now to deal with it myself. Apparently this wonderful little parasite has been siphoning off of me. As it's been growing, more and more of that Moore spell has been sucked away. A couple of the witches were able to tell me today."

Damon was quiet for a moment, trying to process and understand exactly what the blonde had just told him. "Siphoning? What the hell even is that in the supernatural?"

"The child growing inside of me is wolf, vampire, _and_ witch, D. The witch technically isn't supposed to work with just the vampire blood alone. It already had, but the child has started to suck the magic out of me to grow stronger. It's sucked away most of the Moore spell that linked Nova and I together. It'll move onto my vampire half eventually because vampires alone were created with magic and I was saved with magic."

"But if that kid keeps sucking then there's not going to be any 'you' left. How bad off are you right now, Thea?"

"I'm okay right now, but towards the end of the pregnancy I might not be able to get out of bed." Her voice started to crack. "I might not live through the birth, D…"

Honestly, how much more bad news could Damon possibly get in one day? Surely there had to be something he could find to protect Lethia. "I'm not gonna let you die, Thea. We worked way to hard already to prevent that. Nova and I… we'll figure it out. You know we always do. How much time do we have?"

"Depends on how fast this kid sucks the life out of me I guess. Early spring maybe? There's no set cook time for Kross wolves at least… we come when we're ready to. I was almost a full year pregnancy because I'm the biggest of the pack."

"You kidding me? That's plenty of time, Thea. I can sweep up this Silas mess, shut some archangels up, and find a solution to your tribrid parasite with plenty of time to spare."

"What about Nova?" Her voice had fallen to a lamenting, low tone.

"She… we were making progress. Even lended a hand to Zarya and those Winchester hunters."

"So what went wrong?"

"Saskia. She had compelled Riel and attacked us to kidnap Nova. We can't reach Bonnie and Riel is temporarily out of juice between what Lucifer, Remiel, and Saskia put her through. I'm gonna find her, Thea. You know I will."

Lethia smiled sadly as she looked out at the city. "Yeah, I know you will, D."

* * *

"We are not going to nuke the damn town!" Zina exclaimed when Jeremy and Matt walked into the boarding house. Jeremy even had a rifle over his shoulder, 'just in case'. "We do not need human babysitters!"

"Well when not a damn person trusts either of you, you get human babysitters," Jeremy quipped back. "Where's Riel?"

"Upstairs sleeping off whatever has happened to her. You can go check if you think we ate her."

"I survived childbirth, the death of my entire family and five hundred years of running from an immortal hybrid," came Katherine. "You can understand why I'm a little upset that I need to be watched and guarded for being genuinely helpless now."

"Well, we're not going anywhere, so…" Matt shrugged and both of them sat down in the chairs across from the ladies on the couch.

"Barbaric," Zina muttered as she rolled her eyes.

"If you think you're the toughest person in the room right now, why don't you do something about it?" Jeremy challenged her with a smirk.

"Oh, doesn't little Gilbert just feel like Superman since he became a hunter? Let me tell you, boy, there are regular human hunters out there. They have faced much worse than you with much less protection. And not a damn one of you frighten me."

"You still owe me a round you know. I'm definitely not worried about breaking anything in this museum if it means kicking your ass."

"Keep in mind little Gilbert, you've 'kicked my ass' but once. And that was only after I had already kicked yours." She crossed her arms over her chest and matched his smirk. "Do you really want to risk it happening again, _kid_?"

Jeremy shrugged as nonchalantly as he could for biting back the adrenaline spiking within him. "Do you know how to fight now that you're like, not _dead_?"

Both of them sprung to their feet with fists swinging. They caught each other's hands in a stalemate, standing toe to toe with barely a few inches between them. Matt had jumped back in his chair from the swift movement but Katherine had her eyes locked on the dynamics of the two. It was abundantly obvious that Zina and Jeremy had crossed paths on the Other Side and even fought twice. To most it would seem that they had become rivals determined to prove dominance to the other. Katherine, however, saw much more than even Zina and Jeremy probably saw in themselves. She smirked a little as she sipped her bourbon and watched. It was about time Zina started to let her walls down. Even if it was for Jeremy Gilbert.

Zina was prepared to go ten rounds against Jeremy when a dark chill crept up her spine. Her hands were still collided with his. He watched the look in her eyes seem to change and become mildly vacant as if she was hearing something. It was a strong enough psychic attack that she could hear it and it could even pass through to Jeremy. They both heard Silas' voice trying to coax Matt.

"_Not a word out of you. You can't talk, and you can't scream."_

Matt's eyes widened when he heard the voice in his head, completely unaware that Zina and Jeremy were also able to hear. "Yeah, actually I can. Jeremy, run!"

"Go!" Zina shouted quickly before pushing Jeremy towards Katherine. "Take her somewhere safe and don't tell a damn soul, creature, nothing! Do you understand me?" She tossed him the rifle.

"Stop playing martyr, Zina!" Katherine argued.

Matt was yanked off of the chair suddenly and into a wall. "Now I see why," Silas spoke slowly. "Somebody's already in there. Why are you watching me, Traveler? _Odpowiedz mi!_"

Jeremy hastily hauled Katherine out one of the back doors to his truck as the snap of Matt's neck echoed down the hall. He handed her the keys and the gun. "Get in the truck and drive."

"Where the hell are you going?"

"I can't leave Matt and even Zina staying behind is suicide."

"Wait. How do you think I survived 500 years? It wasn't because I was a vampire — it's because I never looked back. Don't be dumb — survive."

"Isn't that how Zina ended up dead and alone? That's why people treat you like an object and not like a person."

Back inside Zina was gearing up mentally for whatever Silas could throw at her. Her eyes closed as Matt's body landed with a thud onto the floor. The ruby bracelet on her wrist shimmered. When she opened her eyes they were bright red and she could see through to the veil into the Other Side. She could just see Matt and Bonnie. _Wait, Bonnie?_ It had been a long time but she could feel the familiar pull of her psychic abilities trying to match his. He smirked down at her when he realized.

"That's some immense psychic power radiating off of you," Silas spoke slowly as he approached her. "Unfortunately it's nowhere near the capacity of mine."

"You've ran into my family before, have you not?" She challenged him. "It was Saskia to screw you over, yes? Try letting it go; you're not the first and you won't be the last."

"Ah, Saskia. We thought she was such a sweet woman. Who would have thought how disturbed she really was? I don't see why you have an issue with me then. I do plan on killing her as well."

"That's the thing though - 'as well'. You've come here for Katerina and Jeremy, both of whom I can't let you have for one reason or another. Keep your family fights within just your own family. You want Saskia dead? Go for it. But there are people that I won't allow you to take down with her."

Silas looked her up and down for a solid minute. He wasn't able to touch her mind even in the slightest. What a tough little girl. "You can keep me out of your head but I know enough about you, little Zina Vasile. You spent too long on the Other Side. Tell me, how is it that you were able to slip loose?"

"I did what I had to do. Just like whatever it will take to keep you away from Jeremy and Katerina."

While she started going hit for hit with the immortal, Jeremy had returned. He heard most of their conversation and was definitely surprised at Zina's resolve. He was able to slip past them to check on Matt. It was always a relief to see the Gilbert ring on his finger. Zina went sliding into Jeremy suddenly with a groan. Silas stood above them. "Now, if my best friend died, I'd at least pretend to cry. Which leads me to believe he's not really dead. I take it that tacky old ring somehow protects him?"

"Too bad you can't get inside my head to find out for sure. Hunter's perk." He quipped up at the immortal as he helped Zina to her feet.

"See, that's what you don't get. When I can read your mind, I at least have use for you. Now… I'm just gonna kill you."

"Already made it clear that that is not happening, _pulă_." **(Dick.)** Zina snarled, her eyes turning dark. Veins spread beneath her darkening eyes as her fangs extended.

She lunged at him but he flipped her over his shoulder. With her quick reflexes she was able to land on her feet. Jeremy grabbed a (thankfully) nearby hatchet from the fireplace and whipped it at Silas. He leaned to dodge it, but the weapon landed perfectly in Zina's hand. Without giving Silas enough time to react, Zina flung the hatchet into his back making him cry out in pain. He ripped the hatchet from his back, whipping around to turn his wrath onto the young Vasile. As soon as his front was exposed the rifle went off and sent a bullet into his chest. Katherine stood in the doorway with the gun.

"Get away from my progeny and her little hunter rival or I'll unload whatever is left in this thing into your chest," she snarled protectively as she cocked back the gun loudly. Silas started to stumble towards the door when she got another shot to hit him. They didn't see him after he vanished out the doorway.

Zina's face had returned to normal and she gave Katherine a teasing half smile. "I wouldn't have thought you'd know how to use one of those things."

The brunette shrugged with the hint of an arrogant smile tugging at her lips. "I figured it out."

* * *

"It's about damn time," Damon sighed in relief when he found Elena heading towards the Whitmore House party. "Now, before you get mad-"

"Mad can wait," she replied quietly with her back still to him. Suddenly Elena whipped around and started trying to punch him furiously.

"What the hell, Elena!" He exclaimed while blocking as many furious fists as he could. He started getting flashbacks to some of Nova's tantrums. He quickly restrained her before shoving her a safe couple of feet away. "Silas got into your head, didn't he? What did "Stefan" tell you to do?"

"Get you alone, weaken you, and then kill you."

She charged at him again but that time he just grabbed her and restrained her. "You're in a Silas-trance, Elena. And now is not exactly the best time for that. It wasn't Stefan you talked to earlier, dammit!"

"That's not possible!" She argued as she thrashed. "I hugged him, I was talking to him about my life, and about—"

"Me? Yeah, I'm sure he had some choice things to say. It's Silas, Elena. He's not in the quarry. You talked to Silas today. He got in your head."

Her eyes widened suddenly. "But, if that was Silas… then where's Stefan?" She had started to calm down, or at least seem so, so Damon let her go. Elena quickly whipped around with fire back in her eyes and started hitting his chest. "What happened to Stefan?" She demanded. "Where is he?!"

"Can we talk about this when you don't have that murdery look in your eyes?" He grabbed her wrists and held them a safe distance away.

"You're right. Every time I look at you, all I wanna do is kill you."

"It must be Silas' mind-control. He's using your anger at me, like a trigger. You have to resist it."

"I can't!"

"Elena, listen to me. It's just stronger than compulsion. I didn't exactly want to have to coin this phrase, but be like Nova for a minute. Resist the compulsion. Resist the mind control. Resist Silas."

"Nova…?" She murmured with a dazed look in her dark eyes.

"Yes, Nova! Your sire, my progeny. Kind of needs all hands on deck right now. You need to resist Silas' mind control like she can resist vervain and compulsion." _When she isn't horrendously weakened with Deadly Nightshade._

"I can't! Okay? All I can think about is killing you!"

"We've all been there before, Elena. Remember when Kol compelled Nova to kill Jeremy?"

"She couldn't stop herself!"

"But she did! She didn't lay a damn finger on Jeremy! She shut off her humanity because he meant a lot to her too and she couldn't protect him like she promised. Now she's enduring who the hell knows what by Saskia's hand. We need to find her and Stefan before it's too late for either of them, Elena."

"Nova…" She murmured again. "Stefan…"

"Yes! Stefan. Think about Stefan. Caroline told me you've been worried about him, that you had a pit in your stomach. Describe it, tell me about it. _Think _about him. Think about the feelings you're getting. Describe it to me."

She stopped moving suddenly and blinked a couple of times. "It's… it's like a chill, but I can't explain it… It's like I can feel him. He's trying to reach out to me, but I don't know where he is, and I can't understand what he's trying to say. All I know is that he's scared, and he's lonely, and he's in a lot of pain. He's in a lot of pain. Oh, god, Nova must be too. We have to find them!"

Finally Damon was able to release her. "We will. I swear. You just have to keep fighting like they have everyday for decades. Stefan, Nova, Lethia; just keep fighting, Elena."

"The rage… it's gone." She looked up to him with hopeful eyes as her phone rang. "Hey, Megan; what's going-"

"Elena!" The freshmen's scream came loudly through the phone. "You have to help me! He's chasing me!"

Quickly, Elena and Damon started to hustle towards the party. "Who's chasing you, Megan?"

"Help me! Oh my God!" The girl cried in utter fear.

"What's going on?" Caroline asked when they ran up. "We can't get inside without being invited."

"Someone's chasing Megan," she mouthed quickly to the blonde. "We can't come inside – the line's too long. If you come out – where are you?"

"Elena, please help me!"

Caroline took the phone suddenly. The three had started looking up and around frantically. "Megan, can you hear me? Get outside and we can help you."

Glass broke suddenly and something landed near the trio. The girls gasped when they realized it was their roommate Megan with her throat ripped open and bleeding. Caroline's hand flew to her mouth. A commotion started. "Who did this to her?"

Damon's eyes hadn't looked away from the body. "This was a vampire."


	8. It's a Cold, Cruel, Harsh Reality

08: It's a Cold, Cruel, Harsh Reality.

As if to add to the growing list of issues, Liz had called Damon because the search party found something. While Elena packed some of her things in her decision to return to Mystic Falls temporarily Damon ventured to the quarry. The divers had retrieved the safe they intended on putting Silas in, but not Silas nor Stefan laid inside. Instead, a bloody corpse stared with a horrified face up at them. If Stefan had been in the box for three months he was starving, and still hungry.

When Damon returned to the boarding house with Elena they found Riel still unconscious in one of the spare rooms but no Zina or Katherine. Somehow, Damon just wasn't surprised in the slightest. He didn't even make an attempt to lay down. Just stayed up desperately trying to track down Nova, Saskia, or some kind of lead. It was nearing dawn when Elena awoke with a start down the hall.

"I had a dream about Stefan," she told the elder Salvatore when she appeared in his doorway. Still Damon didn't budge but he acknowledged her. "It was more than just a pit in my stomach this time, though. It was real. It was like I was there with him."

At last, Damon sighed and turned around. "Fine, tell me. No chance it's a coincidence at this point."

"It was just so vivid. I saw Stefan walking out of this bar. It had a red awning and this broken neon sign, and he was screaming in pain." The look on her face could have broken his heart if he didn't have twenty other problems to juggle.

"Well, should I go check in the attic, see if there's a crystal ball? Maybe you can conjure up an address."

"Route 29," came the ever irritating voice of Katherine Pierce. "Joe's Bar."

Damon clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth before even looking at her. "And where the hell did you and your partner in crime vanish off to?"

Katherine smirked arrogantly. "Errands. She's off on one right now. I wanna find Stefan just as much as you do," she looked to Elena when she spoke, "and not just because I don't wanna be a pawn that you can trade off for his life. I care about him—I always have. And since we've been having the same dream… makes me think you care about him just as much."

* * *

_Tiny boxes,_ Zina reminded herself as she forced her composure. _Shove all your emotions in tiny boxes. Maybe I'll get confused with a ghost at first. That would be quite amusing._

The party was littered corner to corner with vampires. Plenty, both male and female, eyed her with lust as she sauntered in. Her raven hair remained straightened just past her shoulder blades with a black and silver mask hiding her dark eyes. Silver heels tapped across the ground almost melodically beneath her gown. It was all white lace with sleeves to continue hiding the scars on her arms. A slit dipped down her chest seductively where a gold necklace with a lapis lazuli stone laid shimmering against her pale chest. Similarly to Nova's the metal twined into a Z on top of the stone to hold it in place. The vampires weren't certain what to make of her, having never seen or even smelled her before. She was unlike their own kind and even the Original family.

"Bloody hell," Rebekah muttered when she laid eyes on the ravenette in white with lapis lazuli around her neck. "That's not one of Marcel's inner circle, is she?"

Klaus glanced down half heartedly at first. The all white and lapis lazuli threw him off, forcing him to do a double take. His eyes widened as flashes of Zina Vasile in her white gown and her heart in his hand crossed his mind. She stopped in the dead center of the room staring up at him directly. Thought he couldn't see her eyes he could feel her gaze piercing daggers onto him. "No," he finally answered briskly, unable to tear his eyes away from the girl below. "But I think he might have a ghost problem."

"Niklaus Mikaelson," she called with a thick Romanian accent which pushed the crowd further away around her. "I need to have a word with you and Daciana immediately."

_Yeah, that sounded good,_ Zina tried to make herself feel better. _That's some gutsy shit Nova probably would have done._

Rebekah swore her brother's eye twitched. "These bloody Vasiles are going to haunt me for the eternity," he muttered. "Sister, won't you go check on Lethia please?"

"And miss whatever this?" She gestured between the ravenette below and Klaus. "Absolutely not. I will go and find her so she can witness this with me so don't you dare do anything worth missing."

Klaus descended the stairs slowly as Rebekah dashed off to find Lethia. He could feel the gaze of the ravenette following his every motion and breath. It couldn't be possible, could it? She had the same figure, though her hair was a bit shorter and straighter. Modernization, he supposed. The white lace gown had looked ravishing on her; much better than the one she died in the first time. The necklace had been a nice touch though. Did she always have it or was it something new? Did it have a purpose or was she just trying to look flashy for the party?

"I was quite sure little Bonnie Bennett closed the door to the Other Side," he began slowly.

"Where is Daciana?" She countered boldly.

"Why is her name in your mouth? Go on and show yourself then since you're brave enough to come directly to me."

Zina swiftly removed the mask from her eyes and looked up at him. Her already dark eyes had been accented with smokey shadow and black eyeliner. "As much as I would love to actually hash it out with you, Niklaus, I am here with a purpose."

"Whatever is happening between Silas and the Other Side-"

Without warning, Zina's fist collided suddenly with Klaus' gut, knocking the wind out of him and bringing him to his knees before her. He looked up with wide eyes when he caught his breath. "It's a lot more than that, Klaus. If you want a fight and to try and kill me again after this is over then you go right ahead. I have much more frightening monsters that need to be put down immediately. _Where is Daciana?_"

"I'm here, Zina," came the melodic Lithuanian accent. Daciana walked up behind Zina in a navy gown with Rebekah and Lethia flanking her. "What is it that's so dire it's given my brother another opportunity to end your life?"

"Cain," she answered quickly which earned Daciana's attention immediately. "Cain, Saskia, and Silas. They are going to unleash darkness without even realizing it."

* * *

"You ever play the "What if" game?" Silas spoke half playfully into his phone. "When you're calcified for two thousand years you learn to entertain yourself with these little brain teasers."

Nadia sighed on the other end. "Look, Silas, this phone is prepaid and I don't have a lot of minutes."

"Oh, no, no, no. It's really easy. I'll go first. You know how much I hate Travelers, so to prove your allegiance to me, you killed your Traveler friend, Gregor. But what is it was all an act? What if he's still alive?"

"You saw him bleed out. You buried his body yourself."

"But what if Matt's tacky ring brought him back to life?"

"If this is the game, it's boring."

"If we're gonna work together, I need to know that you're on my side. So, find out if Matt Donovan's still alive, and kill him."

"Fine. Say Matt is still alive. What if he could help us to find Katherine Pierce? She's still your priority, is she not?"

"Yes, she is. So, get the information that you need, rip that ring off Matt's little finger, and make sure he doesn't cheat death again unless you don't want to see Katia ever again."

Nadia watched Matt working the bar at the Mystic Grill. She already had her own agenda. "I'll take care of it."

* * *

For days Nova had been internally screaming as she slowly rotted in her little hole. The starvation drove her to rage but she couldn't even move. She hadn't known how long it had been before she was being dragged out. Days? Weeks? Months? She couldn't tell time anymore. Her vision was too blurry as she was dragged across dirt and rocks. Nova was nothing more than dead weight just watching what looked like forest go by.

Her time in the hole seemed shorter than it took for whoever was dragging her around. She could just barely make out Saskia ahead of her with the chain in her frail hands. She almost looked like a ghost; pale white and dressed all in black. Saskia's hair was a disaster, knotted and sticking up in places. Her black dress was torn and frayed at the hem. Hell, she seemed to swim in the fabric from having lost so much weight. Saskia Vasile was dying without the Mark of Cain mirrored onto her. At long last Saskia came to a stop with Nova on the ground at her feet. Across from her stood a young man donning a sweater vest and lab coat.

"Nova Vasile for your dhampir research." Saskia's voice echoed quietly and raspy into the dark.

The man took a vial out of his pocket and held it up. "I should warn you though, I've noticed it's a very sporadic and rambunctious gene."

"Are you trying to say it will not work?" She hissed.

"I suppose it depends on how desperate you are to survive."

Saskia actually hesitated for the quickest of seconds before tossing Nova to the man's feet. "Let Augustine see if they can find out what is so special about this beast. She is not my problem anymore."

He chuckled rather darkly before handing off the vial to Saskia. "Whitmore House thanks you again for your generous donation to science, Miss Vasile. See you again."

Nova watched Saskia vanish into the shadows before she was hauled into a van. Her head hit the metal floor and bounced though she felt nothing. Her emerald eyes were cold and unfeeling. There was almost no life left to them.

* * *

Daciana immediately grabbed Zina by the wrist and hauled her far off into the back away from prying vampire ears. Naturally her two siblings and Lethia followed suit. "You have a lot of nerve rising from the dead and speaking their names in this city," she snarled when they could no longer even hear the music of the gala.

Zina brushed off her dress before crossing her arms and standing tall against the Mikaelson-Vasile. She noted that her heels were significantly shorter to Daciana's stilettos and yet they were evenly matched in height. "Listen, there isn't a damned one of us that want to speak even the name we were given at birth, but none of us have a choice anymore. Your father is murdering murderers until he clears all the damage he evidently had done and that happens to include all of us for who the hell knows why. And don't get me started on what Saskia has been up to the last thousand or so years, but all she's done is play into Remiel's plots."

The elder Vasile grit her teeth and broke eye contact with her ancestor. Klaus knew well it was a sign that she knew something unpleasant but painfully related. His lips pursed into a tight line before he put a hand on her shoulder. "Speak up, sister. Your actions will not be what puts us in the crosshairs."

She looked to Lethia who had a hand on her small but growing belly, amber eyes filled with worry. Heaving a hefty sigh, Daciana proceeded to speak the truth at least she knew of. "My birth giver, Saskia Vasile, is, was, and will always be nothing but a selfish monster. And she is no different than her angel mother Remiel. Cassia and I… we should have been born naturally in the spring of of 262 _BC_."

Klaus, Rebekah, Lethia, and Zina all stared with eyes as wide as possible and jaws slightly agape.

* * *

When Nova finally started to regain consciousness and her eyes cracked open a blinding light scorched them shut. She could hear a small handful of people talking but could never make out the difference in voices or what they were saying. She felt herself strapped down to a cold, metal table with both leather restraints and chains. An IV came poking out of her right arm with a steady dose of Deadly Nightshade pumping through her veins to keep her weak.

Someone hovered above her and began pulling and poking at her eyelids. They forced them open so Nova's pupils would constrict against the light before a long, thin needle was pressed into the emerald hue of her iris. Strands of her hair were pulled right out of her scalp. Vials upon vials of her blood were taken. They even cut her in random places in all sorts of ways to see how long it took for her heal and how she would especially hooked up to Deadly Nightshade.

How long had she been there? Had it only been hours? Maybe days? Could it have breached into weeks? Those testing and poking her started to wonder why she wouldn't react to anything. Usually they can switch out for another test subject but they just went to town on Nova Vasile while they had the chance. She didn't move, she didn't scream, she didn't even cry. She just laid there on their metal table staring up with no life or emotion left to her eyes. It was like she had no fight left in her.

The joke was on them though, wasn't it? Did they even know her humanity was off? All the while they poked and prodded and tested Nova, every inch of her being including testing her regentive abilities, she laid there and silently seethed. Nova had no time or regard for tears and sorrow. All that was left was a powerful, burning, and growing hatred. She thought of Audra and Lena Vasile in 1958. She thought of Niklaus terrorizing her. She thought of Zina's miraculous return from the dead. She thought of little human Zarya and her struggle to remain both human and alive. And she thought of Damon and his endless search for Katherine Pierce.

_Katherine Pierce._

How Nova positively _loathed_ even the name. She thought back to 1864 at one point, wondering how Katherine became such an enemy in her life. Felix and Alina raised her to hate the Petrova name for crimes against the clan. What crimes were they though? She had always wondered. They had to have known it was Katerina Petrova to adopt their second born child, but what was it that sent Katerina against the Vasiles centuries prior? And was it because of Zina that Katherine felt the need to ruin everything in Nova's life? Why did she even take an interest in Damon? All Katherine ever wanted was Stefan. Yet everytime Nova even began to feel happy or comfortable with Damon at her side, there Katherine was to take it all away.

Elena's face haunted her then. A Petrova doppelganger. Face like Katherine but the personality of a frightened bunny. Nova's first and only successful progeny and what a waste she turned out to be. College? Really? Elena was so naive. If it wasn't for her infatuation with Stefan then Nova probably could have avoided most of the turmoil she was met with. What is it about that stupid face that keeps dragging the Salvatores around through the rocky mud?

Remiel, Lucifer, the Winchester brothers; it was a wonder Zarya wasn't dead or much less human yet. How foolish she was to keep poking around if she didn't eventually want fangs of her own. Nova felt wrath towards each and every person that crossed her mind for one reason or another. They were all so weak, weren't they? Living based on emotion and care for others. She thought that was what she needed, what she craved - the love of and to reciprocate love to another. But love truly was a vampire's greatest weakness and she was not weak. No one would come for her and she didn't want anyone to. Nova was done relying on others who could only feel so deeply and act based upon that.

It had been a straight 56 hours of testing before Nova was released, hauled down a hallway, and tossed onto the floor of a cell. She laid face down for hours before she finally came to. The numbness was slowly leaving her body; her eyes were struggling to focus. When they finally did she found something seemingly _engraved_ into the flesh of her wrist. It was small enough to fit across her rather thin wrist, likely done with the help of some Deadly Nightshade, but forever carved into her skin regardless.

_21052._

* * *

"For _years_ my mother pleaded to be Remiel's vessel as Runa's body wore thin," Daciana gravely explained. "And each time Remiel told her she wasn't good enough; she wasn't strong enough. Every time Saskia returned she was stronger than the last. She had killed more in her wake. Yet it still wasn't good enough for Remiel no matter how weak she became."

"_What more must I do to prove myself to you?!" Saskia yelled at the archangel, two severed heads dropping from her hands. "I am stronger than any who dare cross my path! I can be your vessel!"_

_It started off as a tiny snicker, but quickly erupted into maniacal laughter. Remiel's dark eyes stared down tauntingly at the child she raised. "You are still a naive child," she hissed darkly to Saskia. "Those ideals will get you no further than what you have already achieved. You desire true power by being my vessel? You require true power first. The only reason Runa survived and has been safely catatonic in this head is because of this." She whipped back her long, black sleeve and showed Saskia the mirrored Mark of Cain for the very first time._

"Remiel told her that the day she was born Lucifer transferred his Mark to his first Knight of Hell - Cain. If my mother wanted eternal glory she had to begin by getting the Mark mirrored onto her flesh just as Remiel had done. It took her some time but she made it her goal to find Cain and so she did."

"Cain wouldn't have just suckered up to a pretty face though," Lethia commented. "Would he?"

"No," Zina replied stiffly with her gaze still on Daciana. "Cain murdered his own brother and took the Mark in an effort to protect Abel and keep him from Hell. He wandered as the Father of Murder to atone for murdering his brother no matter what the reasoning was. He wouldn't have given in so easily."

"And he did not," Daciana snapped sharply. "Saskia taunted him before showing him just how capable of murder she was. She assured him she was not innocent, which she never was, and proved not even he could kill her then by forcing him to shove the First Blade through her gut. Once she proved her worth he opted to keep her around. A couple of centuries of murder later and the Father and Mother of Murder discover that they're going to be a father and mother for real."

_Saskia's countenance had never looked more human upon receiving the news. A witch, a shaman, and human doctor had all told her the exact same thing. Beside her Cain was also reeling. Was it even an option? Was it possible by nature's laws even?_

"_Let's tell even nature to go fuck itself," he offered at last, his lips twitching towards a smile._

"_Children?" Saskia returned with disbelief in her tone. "Do either of us really know what to do about children? We… we end lives, not create them!"_

"_Perhaps this could be a new start for us, my love. A whole family of murder no one would dare trifle with. We can raise our children however we see fit, can we not?"_

_It started to spark an interest in her, but one daunting question remained: "What would they even be, khuba? Human? Angel? Demon?"_

_He took her hands in his and kissed them gently. "Does it matter so long as they can fight, kill, and survive?"_

That had been something they actually had never considered. Saskia Vasile was a nephilim - half human, half angel; Cain was a Knight of Hell - a demon. The mirrored Mark on Saskia is what caused the two girls to be the beginning of the Cursed Twins, but had they even been born human?

"My beast of a sister and I were not even born," Daciana clarified before continuing. She got the feel of the room and saw the looks on their faces. First she choked back a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding before finally telling them things she had never even told the Mikaelsons a thousand years ago. "In April, towards the end of the pregnancy, they found out that Cassia and I had been siphoning off of our mother."

Lethia's breath caught in her throat. "Wh-what were you siphoning…?"

"Anything and everything essentially. We would take turns between her human nature and her angel grace until it wasn't good enough for us anymore. We weakened her severely and she was doomed to die in delivery. Our father, however, was far too determined to allow that to happen. He found a powerful clan of witches in the area and went straight to the leader. She told him that his only option if he was so desperate for his abomination children to survive was to allow the true monster birthing them to rightfully die on the table."

"And let me guess," spoke Zina grimly, "it wasn't enough for Cain?"

Daciana shook her head. "Of course not. So when a rogue member of the coven approached him outside with a better offer he was much more inclined to take it."

"_Freeze them in time? What madness are you trying to sell me, witch?" Cain demanded with the First Blade at the ready._

_The hooded witch held her hands up in defense. "My methods were too… extreme for my coven. And so they outed me. But you are not in a position to be playing things safely, are you Cain? It will take three properly timed celestial events for me to have such power to do what I need, but how convenient for you that one is happening right around the time your precious daughters are due?"_

_Cain hesitated and thought for a moment before deciding to hear the woman out. "It is simple, really," she assured him. "While your wife is still pregnant, I place a powerful spell upon her and her womb that will stop time from affecting her. Her body will not age or decay any further. We remove the darling children from her body as quickly as we can so I can extend the spell to them because it will not work outside of their mother anymore but infants need their mothers, do they not? While we await the next celestial event I can heal Saskia's body from the trauma of the siphoning so she is near perfect health when we awake her. Then the same to your children and everyone gets to live happily ever after."_

_He was skeptical listening to the witch. It sounded just too ideal but too easily messed up at the same time. "How can I trust that you would follow through with all of this? What do you get out of doing this?"_

"She got more out of it than he knew," Daciana admitted. "It was no accident that she found him - it was on Remiel's whim. The witch was the former leader of the same coven Cain tried talking to but she was ran out because her methods were deemed unnatural and destructive towards the balance of nature."

"I don't suppose you know which coven it happened to be?" Rebekah asked curiously.

"Let me take a shot in the dark," Zina frowned. "The Moores?"

The Lithuanian nodded solemnly. "They had began rising to power when she threatened the well being of it all. My father agreed without his wife's consent or knowledge and, as soon as the contractions began, the stars or whatever aligned for the witch to do her spell. She put Saskia under and quickly had a likely brainwashed doctor oversee the removal of Cassia and I. As soon as we touched the air, just before we could cry, she spelled us too. Frozen in time for centuries to come."

"So your birth family is more in shambles than you led us to believe," Klaus commented at last. "Why is it I feel that's not even the climax of the story?"

"Because it's not… a couple of centuries later, shortly before the next rumored celestial event to awaken my mother, the witch vanished without a trace."

"What the bloody hell do you mean she vanished?" Rebekah exclaimed.

Daciana shrugged. "She was just gone one day. It sent my father on a spiral. He hid hers and our bodies somewhere he deemed safe and took off to do what he did best: murder. The witch then returned when she needed to and proceeded to wake my mother up from her spell as promised. When she did, though, it unleashed all the years the mirrored Mark of Cain was left on her arm just _burning_. She was frozen in time with nothing more than the desire to slaughter humanity and she woke up with that feeling one hundred fold. She left my mother a map and some pages from her grimoire seeing the dark rage that exploded within her and vanished again."

"Coward," both Zina and Klaus muttered before giving one another hateful glares.


	9. Nowhere to Hide from All of This Madness

09: Nowhere to Hide From All of this Madness.

"My mother traveled to Greece where the Travelers were," Daciana continued. "She knew they would have some sort of great magic to benefit herself and possibly something to break the spell on Cassia and I. To insert herself into their lives kindly she annihilated a group of people attacking the Travelers. Proved her worth to Silas and Qetsiyah. They took her in and took pity on her which is exactly how she was so easily able to destroy them from the inside out once she got the immortality elixir from Qetsiyah. However, by time she returned to where she left her daughters, our frozen little bodies were long gone."

"What the bloody hell do you mean your bodies were long gone?" Rebekah interjected.

"Our father took them. He discovered all she had done and what she still intended to do and whisked us away leaving the Mark engraved in a nearby tree just so she would know."

"That's ballsy as fuck," Lethia muttered.

"It gets worse." Daciana shrugged. "He then hid for centuries from his former wife's wrath. Only once he felt it was safe, he finally went through with the only plan he could possibly concoct to save his daughters. The only person he knew would have enough power to break a witch's spell no matter how powerful."

Zina's breath caught in her chest. At that moment Daciana met her eye and could see just about _everything._ They both had a similar connection. A link straight to the same person. "Lucifer," she breathed.

The Original vampire Vasile nodded stiffly. "I could not begin to tell you why he did it, but he did. But by time he returned back to the surface, back to Earth, it had been approximately 70 years up here. He sent Cassia and I to Lithuania under protection, but I would have preferred being raised by Cain honestly."

Zina opened her mouth to speak when she felt her phone vibrating in the surprise pocket the dress had. How modern times excited her. She debated on ignoring it, but who actually had her number? Surprising them all, she took out the device and furrowed her brows at the unknown number. Curious as well, Daciana told her to answer it. Before she could get out a questioning 'hello', the person on the other line spoke fast and afraid. Zina recognized the voice immediately. Her face paled.

"Whitmore!" Katia just about sobbed as she screamed into her phone. "Zarya… Nova… Whitmore; please help! I can't-" She was cut off suddenly, the phone falling from her hand as she was ripped off of the ground screaming.

Zina's body froze with the phone to her ear, black eyes widened with fear and rage. Her breathing steadily increased. The line was silent for a minute after Katia's scream of terror filled the air before the call dropped. Still, Zina did not move. She couldn't move. Whitmore took Nova _and_ Zarya, and someone else just took Katia.

"Who was that?" Klaus resisted the urge to demand because of how urgent it sounded.

Finally her hand fell from her ear to her side with the device still clutched tightly. She swallowed a lump in her dry throat. Her voice started to crack as a weight grew heavier on her chest. "My daughter…" Her empty hand went to her mouth as the four before her realized just how critical the situation had become. They could see the panic and sheer fury rising up within her. "Someone just took my dhampir daughter…"

Daciana's countenance had turned disturbingly serious. With her eyes still locked on the nearly frantic mother, she held a hand out to her brother. "Nik, I'm going to need the keys to the Mustang."

His eyes widened as Rebekah grinned. "Absolutely not. If you're so bloody desperate to help then you can take-"

"The Mustang." She glared up at him with malice. "In case you haven't noticed, we do not have all the time in the world whether we are immortal or not. I know how to drive; I do things in my free time."

* * *

Even in her barely conscious and coherent state, Nova could see Zarya strapped down on a table beside the one they were putting her on. She had heard some sort of commotion who knew how long ago but couldn't make out a damn thing. Zarya must have been trying to rescue her. Nova nearly scoffed at the thought until she realized the extent of what had already been done to Zarya. An IV came out of her arm with a yellowy-gold and white liquid dripping into it. Leather straps kept her bound to the metal table. Wires were stuck to her forehead and temples leading somewhere Nova couldn't see. She would twitch from time to time but otherwise clearly put under by likely whatever was going into her vein. A heart monitor was also attached to her showing anytime her vitals dropped or rose beyond a certain point. As Nova was thrown down on a table of her own she realized that Zarya's (rather familiar looking) shirt was lifted a few inches. Standing out clear as day against her pale flesh on her side Nova focused as hard as she could and saw them; the scarred lines engraved on the girl.

_What the hell happened to you, kid…?_ She thought warily as her head lolled to stare up at the bright light above her. _And why the hell did you end up here…?_

"Curious about your friend there?" Maxfield practically taunted her as he hooked her up to a Deadly Nightshade IV. "I mean, I assume she's a friend of sorts since she came here under a very powerful spell looking like you just to try and break you out."

"She knows better," Nova forced out with her hoarse voice.

"Mm, apparently not. Quite fortunate for me, really. You see, I have this running theory that certain plants that are supposed to be 'deadly' generally to the public is vervain to the Vasiles. So far I have been right on point. You two are going to help me figure out why deadly plants don't kill you, even when human, but instead weakens you horribly. Just like the _atropa belladonna_ is doing keeping you sedated and useless, _datura inoxia_ has incapacitated Zarya and put her in this… almost dream-like state. Vivid hallucinations it seems while completely anesthetized. While I'm not sure what's going on yet in her mind, I know she can't hear a damn thing out here and she can't move past a few uncontrollable twitches. I thought I would take a break from testing her since she is still actually human even with that dark Mark on her arm. Let's begin, Nova."

* * *

Damon's phone rang as they pulled up to Joe's Bar. He didn't recognize the number and was hesitant to answer. "You've reached Damon; how do you care to ruin my day further?"

On the other end, Dean Winchester chuckled. "Oh, don't worry pal, it's about to get a lot worse."

While Elena's eyes widened at the hunter's voice, Damon's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Considering it's _you_ calling _me_, I'm going to have to agree. What do you want? Because you're going to have to put off staking me and Mystic Falls a while longer."

"Unfortunately I know that. And even worse…" He half groaned and half sighed. "Sam and I… we need your help."

The vampires got out of the car, leaving Katherine asleep in the back seat. Before the conversation could continue, Elena mouthed to Damon, "Are we really just gonna leave her in the car?"

"The only time she shuts up is when she's sleeping and we've clearly got more to deal with than her mouth," he replied with the phone a bit away from his mouth. "What's so big and bad that _you're_ calling monsters for help?"

Dean was quiet for a moment that told Damon the situation had to be urgent. "It's Zare," he finally answered. Elena's hand flew to her mouth. "She found out where Nova was taken and her and Katia tried to do their own rescue mission. We haven't heard from her in about three days now."

Damon's face was cold and unreadable but painfully determined. "Where are they, Winchester?"

"The last we heard from Zare some under the radar shit is happening at Whitmore. They were in Virginia. We've got a case in North Carolina that needs to be taken care of and hopefully quickly, but we're coming to Virginia for Zare."

His brain immediately started processing everything and thinking of plans. Though the hunters couldn't see, he nodded. "Alright. We're checking something out right now too but we're only about an hour out from Whitmore."

Once the call ended, Elena let out the gasp she had been so desperately holding. "Whitmore?!" She exclaimed. "Nova has been at Whitmore this whole time and we…"

He held his hand up to quiet her. "We don't have time for that, Elena. We need to check this possible lead on Stefan and go find out what creepy Dr. Maxfield is up to."

"How do you know it's him?"

"Call it a hunch, but it's that guy."

Inside, they found out the bartender had been attacked and told to run before a woman shoved her attacker into a truck and took off. She didn't know the woman, but she knew the truck was taken from a cabin in the area. After telling him what he asked, she poured Damon a shot. He took it without question when his mouth and throat started to burn.

"Vervain!" He exclaimed hoarsely.

"What did you do?" Elena gasped at the bartender.

"I told her to pour him a drink or I'd kill her," came a new, accented woman's voice.

"Who the hell are you?" Damon's head was spinning, rage increasing. He knew where Nova could be at last and some random woman was trying to play villain.

The woman raised a gun at the two vampires. Ironically enough, Katherine had awoken and walked into the bar, not realizing what was going on inside. The gun was turned onto her, forcing the new human to stop with her hands up. "Which one of you is Katherine Pierce?" She demanded.

Katherine instinctively pointed to Elena. "_She_ is!"

"Katherine is a compulsive liar… but I need her alive if I want someone I care about back."

Elena's eyes darted around to each of them around her. She was still reeling under the thought that Nova was somewhere at Whitmore. She looked up to Damon who was clearly searching for an exit. A fire sparked in the doe eyed vampire as she thought about her sire. Adrenaline increased in her veins, prompting the young vampire to rush ahead and tackle the stranger to a table. "Katherine, run!" She yelled as loud as she could while using all of her strength to hold the woman down.

"You really do look exactly alike," the woman commented before tossing Elena into a wall and speeding out of the building.

* * *

Maxfield had to have taken at least twenty vials of Nova's blood in a row. He cut her arm with a scalpel and watched the wound heal without a trace but slowly because of the Deadly Nightshade. He would hold her eyelids open and take samples, still watching as she healed slowly. He matched it to the rate of the cut healing. No matter what he did Nova could no longer feel. She stared up at the ceiling past the light with her thoughts focused on Zarya.

Why the hell did was treating Nova like a hunter's case? Trying to rescue her from Whitmore; what a joke. Though even she had to admit that the kid had guts. She was always rushing right into the fire ready for a fight. What had to have been a few days went by and still the hunter remained sedated. It angered Nova; made her blood boil deep down the longer she seethed. She tried at one point to find that switch to turn back on. Maybe it would do _something_ so she could get gods damn Zarya out of there.

She wanted to, if at least for the kid's safety, but it just wasn't there anymore.

They hauled Nova back to Whitmore's testing room from her cell one day a little earlier than usual; he wasn't quite done with the subject before her. When Nova got a look at the person, she figured on why. The girl couldn't have been even 18 yet with hair as dark as the night and empty eyes that made her think of her sister. She had to be a Vasile, and a twin like Zina. How long had they had her? Who was she? Did they have other Vasiles? Nova's mind was reeling as they strapped her back down to the table and stuck the IV in her arms. She watched them haul the girl just a few rooms down the hall through the still open door.

Maxfield got right to slicing her up. Her eyes flashed to Zarya's steadily beeping heart monitor and she almost chuckled; if only Maxfield had done the same to her. In that moment, as she continued to seethe slowly, her heartbeat was increasing steadily. He did note that her temperature was dropping at a mildly rapid pace. She could feel that in her blood. When a cut he gave her healed quicker than it had been under the _atropa belladonna_ he made a note and turned his back to grab another bag. Maxfield was reeling over his revelation that even what weakened them would have to be modified for a long term result that he actually turned his back to her.

Nova's pupils dilated to the max as they still stared up at the ceiling. She couldn't even feel her body anymore. It was barely her voice to come from her lips. "_Odnauk een euk-zaabu fre'aazh Urshtoeth Shenesh zahomblar. Odnauk een amad en Nebratron sproshkata ratsni wosser khur terei ointso. Etsoo latwen ibibgordak en bezhdirfi yak esee roidakh euk-erahu mebaaken. Etsi hunak non kareenkhe dünasse. Ye eni. Ye enis._"

Maxfield quickly whirled around and sped up the injection process but it didn't reach her until she finished. She let out a snicker with her smirk before her head lolled to the side, vision going blurry. Maxfield tried desperately to search even a couple of words that came out of Nova's mouth but could find nothing. What he hadn't realized was the beeping of Zarya's heart monitor steadily increasing. And down the way the girl Nova had seen was laying on the floor of a small room when her eyes snapped open.

Her hand twitched on the cold floor, seeming to jolt life into the rest of her. Slowly, she was able to sit up. As her black hair fell out of her pale face, her onyx eyes ignited a blue-violet hue. She had never felt such a way before, not that she was ever given the opportunity to. Power surged through her chilling blood that brought her to her feet for the first time in decades. She could hear each individual heartbeat and breath of the guards and staff around her. Each ventricle, each atrium, each vein and artery that passed blood around their bodies she could hear it.

As fangs extended from her normal, small size, the iris hue ignited in her eyes bled until they were blood red. She rushed at the metal door and broke it off its hinges.

When he heard the commotion down the way, Maxfield immediately locked his doors containing Nova, Zarya, and himself. People started screaming in the hall but his attention turned to Zarya's furiously beeping heart monitor. He gasped a little when her hand twitched and head rolled to the side. What the hell was going on? He turned and typed rapidly on his computer, hoping for some sort of scientific explanation. Everything he had been working on began to fall apart.

Nova's eyes fluttered open even against all of the _atropa belladonna_ pumping into her system. Time and time again she had tried to search for that switch that could turn her humanity back on. Zarya had busted in as a mere human willing to take whatever came her way to rescue Nova. Maybe there was some worthiness behind humanity. Yet even as she finally had even the consideration of doing good, Nova could no longer find the switch. Everywhere she searched within herself was black and dripping with blood. Deeming herself too late for redemption, Nova focused everything on her rage and desire to survive. There was nothing human left of Nova Vasile.

As her blood turned practically to ice, a chill fell over the room. Maxfield's breath came out in a fog. He turned slowly and saw Nova staring up at the ceiling with a bored expression. "Considering that I would enjoy to make your death slow and drawn out," her voice was still hoarse but the dark regality was still thick in her slight accent, "I will allow you a five minute head start out of here. Though I don't recommend that door over there. You might want to try the latter." A cold smirk crept on her pale face as she turned to look at him with malice in her emerald eyes.

At first Maxfield was frozen in place. His eyes flashed quickly to the Deadly Nightshade still dripping into both of her arms. He did a double take because the liquid began to solidify until it was a block of ice. A shaky breath escaped his lips, eyes darting to the _datura inoxia_ dripping into Zarya only to find the same. He ripped a flash drive from his computer, ran to the back door, throwing it open, and took off down the hall.

An icy fog grew thicker slowly in the room before Nova ripped the IVs from her arms and sat up on the table. Only for a moment was she dizzy. While people screamed for mercy outside, Nova made her way to Zarya and took the IVs from her arms as well. She looked up to the monitor, seeing the girl's heart rate at nearly 150 beats per minute. Nova hovered above her and started tapping her cheeks lightly. "Come on kid," she tried to clear her throat to no avail. "Come on, it's time to wake up. Zarya! Zarya listen to me and wake the hell up!"

The beeping dropped rapidly then to barely 50 beats per minute. Nova's eyes widened, actually uncertain of what to do. She bit her lip before deciding to rip the heart monitor tags off and put one of Zarya's arms around her shoulder to just haul her out. "Come on, Zarya," she muttered as she dragged them both towards the front door. "I'm really going to need you to wake up at some point here, kid…" They made it out the door and Nova saw the young Vasile girl tearing apart staff and guards mercilessly. Looking around at the corpses it almost looked like some were soaked with just water. "Hey!" She called as loud as she could to the other assumed vampire. The girl looked up with blood dripping from her chin and blood red eyes that made Nova pause for a second. She muttered a couple of curses first. "Let's get the hell out of here, yeah?"

The guard in her hands fell to the ground with a thud while the red drained from her eyes, leaving them pitch black. Her fangs retreated but not fully. Hopping over the bodies she dropped, she caught up to Nova and Zarya. She slipped under Zarya's open arm, not being much taller than the human hunter, and helped Nova drag her down the blood splattered hallway. Anytime someone would try and stop them, the girl would swiftly lash out and end their life. Nova couldn't help but wonder who the hell she was but they had to get to safety first. At one point when they had to stop so the girl could clear the pathway, Nova listened to Zarya's heartbeat and found that it was steadily becoming more regular.

"We're gonna make it out of here Zarya," she told the hunter before grabbing her and walking through corpses again. That was when she heard a small gasp from Zarya. Looking up, the exit was at the end of the hall they made it to. Someone rushed at them before the girl could notice, but Nova saw him immediately. With her arm not under Zarya, she held out her hand. She wasn't positive if she was strong enough, but her will to survive persevered. The guard started to cough and turn blue until he was frozen inside out and on the floor.

"So you two _are _one of us," the girl finally commented in a soft voice as they continued onward toward the door. Even she smiled when Zarya finally began to stir. She and Nova pushed the steel door open and bright moonlight beamed down on the three of them.

"Wh-what happened…?" came Zarya's groggy voice. "What's going on…?"

"Hush, kid," Nova told her as they kept moving. "Save your energy for walking as best as you can."

It took them a good amount of time, but they finally made it a safe distance away from Whitmore and into the woods. All three slumped against trees around one another. They had to take a break. Zarya was practically wheezing and Nova was coughing because her throat was so dry.

"What the hell happened?" Zarya broke the silence. "And where's Katia?"

Nova's brows furrowed. "Katia was with you?"

"She was supposed to get you while I distracted the guards. When they caught me I told her to bail and as far as I saw she did." She then turned to their mystery survivor. "And you are…?"

The girl smiled softly with her knees to her chest. "Clara Vasile. Augustine took me in 1907 after my sister tried to kill me and I returned."

"Do you by chance know who your sire is?" Nova asked.

Clara blinked a couple of times. "Oh, you misunderstand. I'm… I'm not a full blood. I'm only a dhampir."


	10. Every Day is Getting Worse

10: Every Day is Getting Worse.

Elena stared at the scene with wide eyes. She put her phone to her ear and Damon answered with a groan. They had decided that he would go after Katherine and Stefan and she would at least scope out Whitmore. "We have another problem, Damon…"

"Well go on," he groaned in response. "Because that Euro-bitch snapped my neck and got Katherine."

"I'm staring at Zarya's Coup de Ville, but the campus is loaded with emergency personnel. Bodies are being taken out one after another… they're trying to say a water main burst and flooded the entire basement level because half of the bodies look like they've drowned."

"And the other half?"

"'Animal attack'. One guard closest to the rear exit I overheard was frozen to death so they're trying to say it was freezing waters."

Damon sighed. Nova had to have escaped. He couldn't begin to put the pieces together, but Nova was out there somewhere enraged, weak, and hungry. He didn't know if she was with Zarya, where the water came in, or how any of it happened. "Get away from Whitmore, Elena. We don't know what happened and until we do we can't trust whatever might be in the surrounding area. I'll check this lead on Stefan, you get the wonderful job of calling the Winchesters," she groaned a little, "and then we'll have to search the woods I guess."

After they hung up, his blue eyes turned to the night sky. _Where are you, dolcezza…?_

* * *

"So you really learned how to drive," Zina muttered as Daciana skillfully swerved the shining, navy 1969 Ford Mustang through traffic on the highway. Her dark eyes remained fixated on the road ahead with only one goal in mind.

Daciana's face was stoic and focused. One hand gripped the wheel, the other on the gear shift. Both of them were still in their gowns from the party. "I've learned to adjust and adapt quickly in each situation I am put into. Besides, I actually have a lot more free time than people think. And learning to drive was possibly the easiest thing I've done."

"I don't understand why you're so willing to help me though."

"I know where to make my allies, child. And aside from that, I suppose I can relate to you rather well. The less favored child taken off the board for centuries just to be conveniently spat back out and tossed around with barely and clue as to what has gone on since your banishment."

Zina scoffed and turned her eyes out the passenger window. "Can't exactly argue with that. There is one key difference though - no matter how they betrayed me, how they left me to _burn_," she hissed with malice, "I will _never_ turn my back on the Vasile name. I will be better and stronger than those who wronged me, but I will always be a Vasile. It is who I am. It is who _you_ are."

Daciana was silent for what felt like a long while, just zooming through traffic. Her expression was unreadable and not once changed. "I realize that," she finally spoke at last, causing Zina to turn her head. "And for what they have each done to me, both the Vasiles and Mikaelsons will earn a reckoning."

Zina's brow raised. "What do you mean? I thought the Mikaelsons were your everything. What did they do to piss you off?"

Again the Original hesitated in silence before replying. "I love my siblings dearly, do not mistake that ever. Niklaus and I swore fealty to one another. But Elijah…"

"What about Elijah…?" _Wasn't he supposed to be the good brother?_

She took a breath and whipped off the exit into Virginia. "Elijah compelled Zarya to forget her life before the accident. At first I thought it was perhaps a courtesy to Katerina, but recently… recently I discovered it was he who set up my being put under the same Moore spell I was born into to keep me in a casket just as Niklaus had done with the daggers."

* * *

"You… you're a dhampir?" Zarya spoke first with a shakiness in her breathy tone. "A dhampir born just carrying the gene until you died?"

Clara stared at her with uncertainty in her onyx eyes, but the longer she took in the girl's features the more she began to realize. Zarya was seeming to recuperate faster than Nova was, though Clara figured Zarya may have endured less as well. "You bear the curse as well, is that why you ask?"

"Yeah," Nova answered with a slight groan. "One of our latest plot twists. This whole family has got to be the biggest secret filled with lies." She rolled her eyes. "We can play catch up and Two Truths One Lie later if you ladies would really like, but how about we try and get the hell out of the forest that's probably about to be swarming with Augustine creeps just itching to drag us back?"

"Point taken," Zarya muttered. "What are we supposed to do then? We're in the middle of who the fuck knows where with no means of communication and no idea who we can trust with Silas running around."

"Who is Silas…?" Clara asked quietly.

"That's for catch up, kid." Nova replied before trying to pull herself to her feet. "Silas screws with you using psychic power, right? We can trust anyone with a higher psychic power than him. High enough to keep him out of their mind. And since you don't know where Katia fucked off to…"

"Zina? Okay, I guess that's reasonable… but how do we find her or contact her? You aren't running anywhere anytime soon and if anyone so much as sees us we're open bait for Augustine or Silas."

"I just need to find someone who isn't full of vervain and I'll be good to go." Slowly, Zarya's hand began to raise. Nova rolled her eyes again. "First of all, not a chance. If I sent you back to those Winchesters with fang marks anywhere on your body and I'm getting a stake to the chest. Second, your blood is still full of-"

"Devil's trumpet," the hunter sighed. "I know. It put me in this dream-like state. Everything was fake and quiet until…" Oh, God, she didn't want to say it. A hand on her shoulder made her jump and look up to see Nova kneeling beside her.

"Try not to think about it or allow it to hinder you." She gave Zarya's shoulder a small squeeze before rising again.

"If there is a river nearby," came Clara's soft and melodic voice, "we can follow the current and it will take us to the next town."

Zarya looked up to Nova. "What about when the sun eventually rises…?"

Nova's eyes widened, hand flying to her neck and chest. Her daylight necklace was gone. That Maxfield bastard had taken it. "I guess we're just going to have to hope the nightshade didn't entirely ruin my adapted protection from burning."

* * *

Damon made it to the cabin and, with mild relief, found his brother bound to a chair by vines with a circle of herbs surrounding him on the floor. "Stefan," he called when he walked in. "You couldn't call a brother?"

Stefan looked up with a half smile. "Nice to see you, too, Damon. Where's Nova and Elena?"

"Don't worry about them right now. What the hell is going on here?"

"Well, Silas' ex-girlfriend decided to come back from the Other Side."

"Qetsi-whatever?" He was trying to remove the vines with no effect.

"It's _Qetsiyah_," came Tessa behind them with a flower in her hands. "Do you see why I want to change it? You won't be able to break those vines. The spell won't release him until I get what I want."

"Well, I guess the rumors are true." Damon commented. "You are a ray of sunshine. Question - why is my brother wearing your compost pile?"

"I'm going to link Stefan to Silas. Casting a spell on his doppelgänger will neutralize Silas' mental powers. Once he's weakened, I will force him to take the cure."

"Well, that's a great idea, force the cure down his throat. The cure is gone, done, it's ingested." He shrugged.

"Katherine, you mean? I'm aware of her condition. She was supposed to be with you."

Stefan's eyes widened. "Wait. Katherine took the cure? That's what happened?"

Damon waved him off. "We have a lot to catch up on, Stefan. Wait a minute. What do you mean supposed to be with me? Did you plant those dreams? What is it, some kind of, like, witch party trick?"

She shrugged. "So where is she?"

"...We ran into a little snag."

"Then I'll get started without her." She stood over a bowl and began chanting, "_Adatu Khan Leala Ghan Breatvis Shemil._"

"Okay, well… thanks for the hospitality, but we should really get going if we want to beat traffic."

Stefan nodded in agreement to his brother. "Yep, yep. He's right."

"Probably don't want to get on my bad side," Tessa commented.

"You realize you're not the only one with a bad side, right?" Damon's impatience was beginning to set in. He had to go find Nova before something happened.

"Aren't you brave. Without Silas' mental powers, he is an immortal nobody. We can defeat him. Isn't that what you want so you can keep Nova from further descending into darkness?"

Both brothers fell entirely silent. Judging by the look on Damon's face he was running out of time involving his progeny. A comment Nova once made to him rang through Stefan's head. "_I've held a grudge against you since Monday June 18, 1860."_

"Just do it, all right?" He spoke suddenly with Nova's emerald eyes haunting him. "Just get it over with. Do it."

* * *

"I told you my sister would be too high and mighty to eat a bunny even if it's to survive," Zina smirked.

Nova scoffed with a smirk on her face as soon as they saw the Mustang roll up. The river had led them to civilization, but to a road that would take to them into a city. As they emerged from the trees with the sunrise on the horizon, the Mustang's headlights lit up the scene. "Terribly sorry I refuse to stoop to Stefan's level of pathetic but I'm a warrior, I can't eat rabbits." She rolled her eyes.

Zarya resisted the urge to laugh as she remembered Dean saying something similar when they were dealing with Leviathan. "What are you guys doing out here? How did you find us?"

When Zina's expression fell, Daciana jumped in. "Katia had called her…" She started delicately. "She was yelling for help about Whitmore when someone took her."

The hunter's hands flew to her mouth, green-blue eyes wide and glistening with tears threatening to fall. "Oh God, I'm so sorry…" She breathed, taking a step back. "She… she was here helping me… I told her to save herself…"

Zina finally looked back up with empathy in her dark eyes. "Well, we aren't going to figure anything out if you three don't get in this car."

Zarya didn't move at first, prompting Nova to gently shove her into the back of the Mustang. Clara took the driver's side and Nova sat behind her sister with Zarya in the middle to make sure she didn't try to tuck and roll. The car was silent for a while, until Daciana's eyes flicked to Clara's reflection in her rearview mirror. "You are Clara, aren't you?"

The young dhampir's attention jumped to the Original. "Yes, I am. How do you know of me? Augustine has had me in captivity since I turned."

"Your cousin has been searching for you. My brother Kol turned her in 1913. Besides, there are only a handful of dhampirs in this family and only one human left."

Zarya let out an exasperated sigh and slumped down in the middle seat. "What's that matter when I carry the gene too? I die and I'm next in line. Hardly human if you ask me."

"But you are," Clara assured her. "Natalia and I were born human. She always feared I was hiding that I was born a half blood already but I was not. I did human things - I studied, I played music, I danced in the rain with Carina," she smiled sadly. "None of us ever knew I carried the gene. Natalia and I got into a row one afternoon, so common and so pointless, and she pushed me into a river's rapids." Zarya's eyes widened. "My head hit a rock and I drowned from the rushing water. I believed that was my end just as my sister did before she fled to America, but I emerged from that water. It… it is like a defense mechanism to ensure the survival of our bloodline."

"Our bloodline is tainted," came Zina. "And if we don't do something soon then we're all about to be pawns in a really messed up game."

"So what do you propose we do, _soră mai mică_?" Nova questioned.

Daciana smirked and revved the engine of the Mustang before flying down a wide open road. "We are going to fight as one."

The three girls' eyes in the backseat widened. "How many Vasiles still live…?" Clara asked with astonishment.

"You're going to be surprised," Zina responded.

* * *

"She told me that we don't stand a chance," Damon sighed to Elena.

The brunette scoffed. "And what does she know about us?"

Just then the front door to the Boarding House burst open prompting both vampires to step in front of Stefan's unconscious form on the couch. "Not a damn thing," came the familiar Romanian accent before Nova stepped through.

Damon ran up and grabbed her, lifting her off the ground. "Thank gods you're okay," he breathed with relief. "What happened to you? Where have you been?"

"I am perfectly fine," she smiled up at him though he could see no humanity behind the gesture. "And I brought some… family." She smirked. Behind her came Zarya, then Zina, then Clara, and finally Daciana. Elena and Damon stared with wide eyes and slacked jaws.

"What… what the hell is going on?" came Damon's reply at last. He then turned to Zarya. "And why the hell are you here and not with the Winchesters?"

"Because when we went our separate ways," the young hunter answered calmly, "Dean… he was about to have his one on one with Cain." Her eyes wandered up to Daciana slowly.

"So what exactly is this about?" asked Elena.

"This is about us," Nova began, "taking out Silas, Qetsiyah, Saskia, and Remiel once and for all." Stefan began to stir at last with a slight groan before trying to sit up. "Welcome back, Steffie," she smirked at him.

"Stefan!" Elena exclaimed before throwing her arms around him. "We missed you."

He was silent for a moment, eyes scanning over each and every one of them. There was a clueless blankness to his expression. "Uh, I'm sorry… I-I have no idea who you people are."

Zina couldn't contain her snicker against the confusion and uncertainty. "Oh this is going to be fun then."


	11. When All is Lost and Daylight Ends

11: When All is Lost and Daylight Ends.

"Please tell me that I wasn't out of my mind leaving Damon in charge of Vampire Amnesia 101," Elena spoke into her phone.

Nova chuckled as her heeled feet clicked by the brunette. "No, that was pretty insane."

Elena tried to ignore her to hear Caroline on the other end. "What did he say exactly?"

"One text - 'So far, so good.' Which, in Damon speak…"

"Means that they probably devoured a troop of Girl Scouts by now."

"Caroline!"

Nova was laughing while pouring herself a cup of whiskey. "Well she probably isn't terribly off. I wonder if even Stefan's amnesia forces him to toss back Bambi." She pouted mockingly.

"I mean," came Caroline through the phone, "it's not exactly uncommon for patients with retrograde amnesia or other traumatic brain injuries to turn volatile…"

To the Romanian's wide spread grin, Elena deadpanned up at her. "And that's exactly why it's at least only Damon with him." She turned and started walking away from Nova to continue her conversation when Daciana ran down the stairs.

"I thought you said Auriel Cressida was unconscious in one of the beds," she spoke with haste.

"Why didn't you ask my twit of a sister on your way down?" Nova bit back before sipping her whiskey.

Daciana cut her eyes at the Romanian. "Because we seem to be having an issue with Clara and I now have reason to believe that it's Auriel's doing." A pained screech came from upstairs and the Original flew back to Clara's room.

Elena ran upstairs and checked the room Auriel _had_ been laying in. The sheets on the bed were only slightly wrinkled from where she was laying on top of them, but there was no trace of Riel anywhere. She ran into the hallway as Nova made her way up slowly and Clara let out a cry of agony. "Riel is gone," she told her sire.

Nova shrugged, continuing her waltz down to Clara's room. She paused only for a second when she heard Zarya's voice in the room as well. "Oh God!" The hunter cried. "What the fuck is this?!"

"I can hear them!" Clara sobbed with Nova in the threshold of the room. "They are killing us!"

"Who's killing who now?" She demanded. A thud caught her attention; Zarya's back slammed into a wall with her hands clutching her head. Her eyes fought desperately to focus on _anything_ but she was losing the ability to breathe. Nova could hear the human's heart rate speeding up rapidly and dangerously. "Zarya!" She called to deaf ears as she raced over and grabbed the girl's arms. She could hear Zarya choking, gasping, for air.

Nova knew she smelled it first, but it was seconds before the other two vampires in the room did too. A part of Nova somewhere was bitter and angry that Elena had dashed off to check on Stefan and Damon, but she would deal with it later. Zarya's green-blue eyes finally met Nova's emerald ones and her bottom lip trembled. The Romanian could see tears shining in the girl's eyes. Nova's eyes traveled down to the hunter's side where blood seeped through her grey shirt.

"You said someone is using magic to fry Clara?" She called to her psychic sister.

"Clara and clearly Zarya," Zina shouted back in the midst of trying to shield Clara's mind from the spell.

Nova's jaw set tightly. She moved her hands onto Zarya's that were still on her head. Against Clara's screaming, she locked eyes with the hunter and spoke as loudly and clearly as she could. "_Ea este vulnerabilă, nesigură și neprotejată. Puterea luminii, o protejează de orice situație, poate că puterea pietrei să fie în os, poate să fie în siguranță de la toți cei care ar face rău, fie lumesc, fie cu farmec. Acum, în magia mea, protejați-i de alți magi ca mine. Așa că este._" **(****She is vulnerable, insecure and unprotected. The power of light, protects it from any situation, the power of the stone may be in the bone, it may be safe from all who would do harm, either worldly or with charm. Now, in my magic, protect them from other magicians like me. So it is.)**

She repeated it over and over again until Clara stopped screaming, but Zarya continued breathing.

Zina and Daciana watched the humanityless vampire pick Zarya up when she finally passed out and walk her down the hall. Daciana turned to look at the younger twin whose gaze was still fixated out the door. "I was not aware that Nova knew any form of magic."

"She doesn't," Zina spoke softly. "It's a Romanian gypsies prayer. She used it so frequently it's what actually protected her mind from abuse like compulsion."

"And it actually worked?"

"Until Klaus attempted to break it."

* * *

Zina thought she finally heard other people in the boarding house. What a joy it was when she caught sight of Jeremy Gilbert on the stairs. "Oh, good, what are you up to, brat?" As she rounded the corner she blinked a couple of times, also staring at Bonnie Bennett. "Bennett witch? It's about time from what I've heard. They're up in arms without you and apparently Auriel-"

"You can see me?" Bonnie interrupted.

Again the young Romanian blinked in confusion. She looked around hoping for some sort of explanation. "Well, last I knew nobody in our family was blind and I certainly have never worn glasses." Her dark eyes darted back and forth between Jeremy and Bonnie's astounded and concerned expressions. With realization she lifted her arm with the ruby bracelet on her wrist. "You're dead then…" She breathed.

The witch stood so she was level with Zina. "So it's true - that your bracelet is a window to the Other Side?"

"Is that how you were able to come back?" Jeremy added.

She cradled the bracelet on her wrist to her chest thoughtfully. "Yes," she admitted. "And yes. Though I can't give you the details on my resurrection as I'm unaware myself."

Jeremy could see in Zina's eyes that she was lying, but Bonnie couldn't. Something sparked then, and the young Romanian went dashing past them up the stairs. "It was a psychic link," she told her sister and Daciana when she found them. Jeremy and Bonnie could still hear at the bottom of the stairs. "Meaning the magic linked Clara, seemingly Zarya, and whoever else."

Nova rolled her eyes carelessly. "Come on sister, what did Clara and Zarya have in common? Who else of us likely have the same feat about them?"

Daciana gasped. "You don't think…"

"Clara was a dhampir. Zarya carries the gene for when she dies suddenly. How many other dhampirs are - or, were - still alive?"

Jeremy froze stiffly the same way Zina did at the realization. Her lips trembled and a gasping sob escaped. Bonnie had walked up the stairs knowing she would go unnoticed. She couldn't make it to the top before she became aware that Zina was no longer looking to her sister or Daciana for they couldn't see. A tear slipped down Zina's cheek as she stared into Katia's black eyes that only she could see. "Katia…"

For some reason when he heard the brokenness in her voice, Jeremy got up and bolted out of the boarding house. It wasn't a coincidence. As he walked, his phone rang; Damon's name stared back at him. Enough was enough. "Hello."

Back inside, the three were beginning to argue as tears streaked Zina's face. Their attention all changed when their enhanced hearing picked up a loud crash onto the pavement. The three ran to a window where they caught Zarya standing from her tuck and roll. She ran straight to her car and grabbed spare keys.

"Wow," the elder Salvatore greeted, "Jeremy Gilbert picks up. It's a Remembrance Day miracle. Now tell me you found Bonnie because I have a hungry vampire who forgot that he's the hero of the story."

"I need you to come meet me, and I need you to come alone."

"And I need you to be less vague and less weird."

"I know where Bonnie is. Meet me and I'll explain."

* * *

Daciana moved to retrieve Zarya when Nova put her hand up. The engine of the coup deVille roared to life. "Let her go," Nova voiced calmly as the girl peeled out down the street. "We do not need the Winchesters in town more than we already have. Besides," she smirked, "she's got the most to lose."

"Shouldn't that be why we keep her around and protect her?" Zina shouted. "She clearly has a target on her back now!"

"That's enough, sister. We all have targets on our backs."

"And Zarya's just became the largest," Daciana defended. "Do you not see how badly Remiel wants the girl? The turmoil her human life has been put in because of it?"

Nova's chilling emerald eyes stared off after where the de Ville had been. Her dark maroon lips were pulled into a smirk. "Yes, but now she is aware that there is a war she feels inclined to win. And thanks to the ideology of the Winchesters she also feels inclined to take as little of personal sacrifices as necessary. I may have to bear the burden of Romanian queen, but that girl is destined to lead us all."

"You don't even want to be queen," Zina argued. "What makes you think she will take reign of our clan?"

"Because it is burned into her blood to."

* * *

"Okay, where is she?" Damon questioned as soon as Jeremy was in his sights. "Call her. Get her here."

Jeremy sighed. "That's the problem… I can't actually call her. No one can."

Bonnie appeared beside him with a pleading look. "Please don't do this, Jeremy."

"I've been lying to everyone for months, and I can't keep lying knowing that everyone's waiting for her to swoop in and save the day."

"I don't speak 'crazy person', Jer," Damon spoke slowly. "You're gonna have to translate that for me."

"Think about it, Damon. I was dead. I wasn't supposed to come back."

"Yes, exactly. The beauty of Bonnie magic, which is what we need right now."

He sighed again and Katia appeared behind Damon. "You're not hearing me. Magic finds a balance. I'm not supposed to be here. And… neither is Zina."

The vampire's blue eyes widened. "No."

"You can't just bring somebody back from the dead. There is always a price to pay for it."

"Don't say it, Jeremy. Don't you dare."

"She didn't show up to her dad's funeral, Damon. Nobody has spoken to her all summer."

Bonnie looked up to him with tears in her eyes. "Please, Jeremy."

Damon shook his head. "You say it, and everything in Elena's life goes to hell, do you understand me? You say it and the Murder Twins just might snap one last time. Everything changes if those words come out of your mouth, Jeremy."

"Do not say it, Jeremy," Bonnie pleaded.

Jeremy's hazel eyes remained on Katia's black ones. She nodded solemnly. "Tell them the truth, Jeremy."

"Bonnie, Katia, and all of the dhampirs of the Vasiles are dead."

* * *

"You sure you want to be doing that, Steffie?"

The younger, memory lacking Salvatore turned to face Nova as he tossed his diaries into the fireplace. "They're so desperate they finally sent you to jog my memory?"

"Nope." She sipped some whiskey casually. "I'm just trying to get away from all of the tears because people in this town don't know how to stay alive very long. What are you doing here?"

He shrugged and tossed in another journal. "Just tying up a few odds and ends."

"By burning your memoirs? Forgive me if I don't feel the sentiments that you must."

"Ah, right. It took some poking around but I finally found out why no one wanted to talk to me about you."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"You had shut off your humanity and the biggest issue with that and my situation is that you're volatile and we have never liked one another."

She chuckled and stepped closer, her heels clicking on the wood floor. "Now that doesn't sound like something any one of these delicate little creatures would say. So what's the real reason you're burning all those pages and having the balls to stare me in the eye finally?"

Stefan held up the last journal, possibly the oldest looking one. "Monday June 18, 1860. Prior to this date you were barely mentioned except when my father took pity because Damon brought home an abused refugee a month earlier. We had been arguing all day because you found out it was Damon's birthday and nobody said anything. I read that I was angry that some strange young woman was waltzing in and trying to do something she shouldn't. Something we apparently no longer did as a family."

"You told me the three of you didn't celebrate birthdays anymore. That you hadn't in years."

"So you apparently had to go snooping and find a photo of our mother. We argued, and you ran back upstairs to your bedroom."

"I could only take a few things with me from Romania and I swiped a bottle of my family's brandy in a crystal bottle with our family crest on the front. I was going to give it to Damon that night whether you knew and approved or not."

Stefan was quiet a moment. "What happened?" He finally spoke.

Nova cut her eyes at him. "You read it," she hissed back. "What happened? Go on, Stefan. Keep going."

"That's it though… the next part written is that you got into an accident later that night - you fell down the stairs with a bottle in your hand."

She scoffed, her grip tightening around the glass. "Are you fucking serious? You couldn't tell the truth to anyone, not even yourself!" She threw the cup past him and into the fire where it shattered. "You're hopeless, Stefan. That will never change."

He shrugged before tossing the journal into the flames. "That's fine, Nova, because I don't want to be the person in these journals anymore. I don't want to live in this house. I don't want my brother's advice. I don't care about what happened between you and I, and I definitely do not want to continue this conversation."

"Good," she called as he grabbed his duffel bag and started walking past her. "Maybe your brain frying is exactly what you needed then."

Stefan looked over his shoulder at her with a partially taunting half smile. "Maybe it's something you should look into as well."

After the door closed behind him, Damon and Elena were walking in from the back of the house. "Was that Stefan?" Elena jumped in front of her sire. "What the hell happened?"

"You got dumped kid," she replied coldly. "Try to let him go this time."

She moved towards the stairs so Elena directed her attention back to Damon. "We need Bonnie. Why hasn't she called us back? It's so unlike her. He can't stay like this!"

"Elena," Damon sighed, prompting Nova's feet to stop at the base of the stairs, "Bonnie can't help us…"

"Did you talk to her? What did she say? There's got to be something that she can do. I mean, she'll figure it out. She always does."

Nova's head turned slowly to see the ache in her sire's blue eyes. _No,_ she thought as he met her gaze. _You are not about to say it…_

"Bonnie is dead, Elena."

"_What?!_" the brunette cried.

"She's dead… I'm sorry."

The Romanian bit her lip and dashed up the stairs to her sister's room. Zina sat curled up in an armchair next to the window still crying. When the door opened and shut she jumped. Nova stood with her back against the door. Zina didn't like the grim look on her sister's face. "We need to do something."

"What are we supposed to do, _sora mai mare_? Have we not lost enough? We are their creatures…"

"Enough, Zina," she demanded firmly. "For a royal there is no such thing as safety. I am nobody's creature; I am not a piece of clay to be molded by any hand."

Zina scoffed and jumped to her feet. "Royal? Our parents made certain I never came anywhere near such a title. They handed it to their green eyed child. The one meant to have the most humanity and ended up with the least."

"There is nothing older or stronger than royal blood, sister. Especially that of the Vasiles. For better or worse the crown had landed on my head. You were born with the Vasile blood and name. Now use it!"

Her fists were balled at her sides with fire burning in her raven eyes. "And what exactly do you propose the usefulness of our blood will give to us, Nova?" She backed down a notch when she saw the all too daring look in her sister's expression.

Nova's maroon lips pulled into her signature smirk. "Blood for blood, Zina. Where one life is given, one is taken. We take a life and we get a life."

"I'm not certain that's how it works, sister…"

"It does with the right magic."


	12. Pray That You're Fast Enough to Flee

12: Pray That You're Fast Enough to Flee.

Jesse was sweating and panting from his strapped down spot on the table. Dr. Maxfield waved a petri dish over his face, causing his face to vamp out. Jesse thrashed against his restraints, but Wes only put away the dish. Jesse's head slammed back down on the table without feeling. "Dr. Maxfield, please! Why are you doing this? My insides… they're burning up. I'm hungry."

Maxfield kept his gaze on the fresh vampire as he took out a voice recorder. "Subject 62547. After his initial transition, 62547 has undergone three days without feeding. Subject is weak but lucid." Wearing medical gloves, he opened Jesse's mouth. "Upper left and right cuspid normal after blood stimulus is removed." He then turned on a flashlight to check Jesse's eyes.

"What are you doing to me?" Jesse demanded.

"Pupils are at full dilation," Wes spoke to the recorder again before waving the light at his subject. "Sensitivity to light - obvious 11 on a scale from one to ten."

"What the hell is happening to me? Why am I so hungry? _What are you doing to me?!_"

A smirk tugged at Maxfield's lips as he brought the recorder back up. "Subject is confused, yet self-aware. Personality seems intact. Hunger remains primary focus. All in all appears to be a perfect candidate for my altered Vasile genome."

* * *

Damon pushed the slightly ajar door to Nova's bedroom open slowly. He knew it would be a long shot, but he needed Nova to accompany him to the Historical Ball at Whitmore. He had to keep an eye on the still ice cold and no humanity Romanian while also figuring out what the hell Wes Maxfield was doing at Whitmore. He found the ravenette sitting in her window nook with a large, old book her lap. Damon could only see the dark brown leather cover. She had heard his conversation with Elena over the phone and expected him to speak to her within minutes. The real book she was reading was one of Nessa's grimoires discarded under one of the boarding house beds.

"I take it Zina is still locked in her room?" Damon opened with as he walked further into the bedroom slowly.

Nova nodded slowly, her eyes unmoving from the pages. "For years she was forced to watch from the Other Side yet could never find Katia in particular. She searched the Other Side endlessly but yet she was never there either."

"So Zina had to have known then."

Another nod. "She had heard the rumors originating from where she did, but being sent away and raised by a clueless Katerina kept her uncertain. She was savagely raped in an alleyway by a high ranking moroi vampire one night. She will never wear short sleeves because of the horrific burn scars forever on each of her upper arms. When he had magic _and_ fangs she knew she was in trouble; he was unlike Katerina or even Niklaus. When she became pregnant she could feel the siphoning, psychic bond but was unsure if it was because her own power extends from clairvoyancy, or because the child was inhuman. It was only after she endured childbirth and gave the infant away that she pleaded for Katerina to turn her."

Damon's eyes were substantially widened. Having spent the last century and a half with a younger brother of his own, he could just _feel_ that the sudden acquiring of sisterly knowledge was a part of some scheme. For over 150 years Zina lived in her sister's shadow continuing to loathe her twin even after death. Why and when had they suddenly talked in depth? He cautiously eyed his reading fiancee. "Since when do you two speak calmly to one another, let alone share the wounds you can't lick better?"

She chuckled lightly at his comment. "She lost her child, Damon. When she could neither find Katia in life nor on the Other Side she knew Katia was out there somewhere. All she ever wanted was to so much as tell the child she did love her, especially since she escaped the Other Side, and before they even had a moment Remiel ripped Katia away." Finally, her emerald eyes looked up and met Damon's with mischief. "How do you think my sister feels currently? I can't exactly sympathize or anything, but in case you haven't noticed grief makes people do strange things. Even Katerina is off doing gods knows what just to preserve her own ass. All Zina has left is the remnants of the very blood who abandoned her."

He scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Why would she involve herself with the Vasiles then for that very reason? If your parents hadn't abandoned her as a baby then she would have never been hunted by Klaus or lost her daughter. How do you know she's not still plotting to murder you?"

Nova's maroon lips had twisted into a dangerous smirk. "As much as the both of us loathe to admit it, she values my use greater than my death. Also, in case you haven't noticed, it kind of takes some effort in killing Vasiles. Myself especially. Now, come on; you have that look on your face that you're here for an obnoxious favor and that's why you've tried to keep my focus on Zina."

He hesitated for a moment. There was no possible way in all of creation that Zina and Nova were not up to something. Regardless of what they were scheming, he needed to know if Maxfield really was part of Augustine. "I need you to accompany me to the Historical Ball tonight… at Whitmore."

Her face immediately contorted into a frown even though she knew the basis of what he was going to ask. "Absolutely not. You can't pay me enough to step foot near that wretched college ever again. Unless of course you want me to go and eat Wes Maxfield. If I can kill the son of a bitch you can count me in."

Damon scoffed. "Not happening. It's a campus party, Nova. You're not allowed to murder anyone. And even compulsion has to be careful because we don't know who is on vervain or not. Don't you care to know what exactly Wes did to you, Zarya, and Clara? Why?"

"Nope," she dramatically popped the 'p' and turned back to reading. "He knows the plants that hurt us and knows enough of our lineage. He has knowledge of dhampirs. Gods only knows what he saw in our blood under the microscope. He deserves to die and that's it."

"You know he works with Saskia. He gave her a vial of some dhampir crap for who the fuck knows what reason. What if we don't find out what this guy has before he hands it over to her? Or maybe even Remiel? We don't have a single fucking clue what the lunatic's endgames are. Someone wants control of the family and eternal immortality. They want you docile and obedient to their commands. Are you seriously about to sit back while your scientific makeup ends up in the wrong hands?"

She had to admit that his argument was good indeed. Mildly convincing. It even got her to look up from the book again. "Once we have what we need then, in the end I'll kill him?"

His expression softened. "We'll kill him together in the most gruesome way if that's what you want."

At last she shrugged and closed her book. Nova had cut gaps in the thick pages decades prior to hide trinkets. It proved useful and the right size for hiding Nessa's grimoire. "Fine then, _iubițel_. I safely assume this is another one of those events where we have to dress as something?"

That time a smirk found its way to Damon's face. "You're correct, _dolcezza_. I figured we could go with an infamous historical couple."

"If you say Bonnie and Clyde I will throw you out of this window for being so plain and basic."

He laughed. "No, I promise. I was thinking more… King Henry VIII and his final wife, Queen Katherine Parr." A scowl was forming quickly on her countenance so he had to act quickly. "It's just a name, Nova! Would you rather be Anne Boelyn? One of the two who got beheaded? Or would you rather be the woman who pulled his whole life together and succeeded after his death?"

Nova let out an audible groan with her eye roll. "There are thousands of other infamous rulers and you want to go with douchey King Henry?" She shook her head as she stood, making her way to the large closet. "If you insist, my love. I recall seeing Queen Parr in a red gown once in my history lessons…" She muttered before fishing out a particular dress. "Will this suffice for you then? Costume stores lack authenticity."

Damon's eyes had widened again at the dress. It was clearly as old as they were, made with red satin and black lace. "Y-yeah, but where the hell did you get this? It's not one you've accumulated across the country in the last century; I don't recognize it."

Unknowingly, she had been staring down at the dress with memories resurfacing. Her countenance was unreadable and stoic, but Damon could see something glinting in her eyes. "I was supposed to wear this for my official induction into the family when I took the crown after my parents were done experimenting on me. I ran from Romania the morning that it was supposed to happen."

"I don't understand; I thought you turned and ran with nothing."

"I did, but I had a handmaid in Romania who actually cared for me. I knew where she lived with her family outside of the castle so I wrote to her when I could. She secretly sent me several of my belongings from Romania. As soon as she discovered I was missing she hid a few things for me including this because she had sewn it for me."

"Have you thought about a wedding dress then?" He spoke as she set the gown on her bed. The topic had actually startled her.

Her back remained to him, lips pulled into a tight line. There was something wavering in her emerald eyes. "No, I have not." Subconsciously she spun her engagement ring around on her finger.

He had struck a nerve somewhere in her humanity and he knew it. With the ghost of a smile Damon kissed the top of her head. "You probably should," he whispered in her ear before walking calmly out the door.

* * *

In a room forgotten at the end of the hall where Nessa Vasile once stayed, Zina knelt before a small altar she made on the floor. A pewter mortar sat before her filled with various herbs and small bones. A silver dagger was to her left, and a vase of roses to her right. Delicately she plucked out a single rose and held it in both of her hands with the thorny stem hanging down between her fingers over the mortar. In a matter of a minute the rose began to wither and turn black. Each thorn fell off on by one into the mortar until the stem itself disintegrated in. The black was creeping up from the bottom of the petals still sitting on top of her palms. Within another couple of seconds each petal was decayed. She let them fall slowly from her cold hands into the mortar.

With a shaky breath Zina then lifted the silver blade to her palm above the mortar. She dragged the point down her flesh ever so slowly, blood dripping into the other ingredients, while she muttered words in the Verbis Diablo. By the time she was finished cutting her palm the rest of the wound had healed and her ingredients igniting. She wasn't certain if it was going to work, to be honest, but if any one of them knew how to speak with Lucifer, it was Daciana.

* * *

[Flashback]

_Again the Original hesitated in silence before replying. "I love my siblings dearly, do not mistake that ever. Niklaus and I swore fealty to one another. But Elijah…"_

"_What about Elijah…?" Wasn't he supposed to be the good brother?_

_She took a breath and whipped off the exit into Virginia. "Elijah compelled Zarya to forget her life before the accident. At first I thought it was perhaps a courtesy to Katerina, but recently… recently I discovered it was he who set up my being put under the same Moore spell I was born into to keep me in a casket just as Niklaus had done with the daggers."_

_Zina was appalled. "Wh-why would he do such a thing? And if it wasn't a favor to Katerina, then why did he compel Zarya?"_

"_Because Elijah knows the dangers of our family, of our blood. He knew where I came from, what I ran from. He saw what Esther's immortality spell did to me. I am a Cursed Twin of Saskia Vasile and Knight of Hell Cain. I swore fealty to his hybrid brother. I was - I _am _\- stronger than all of them combined. Even my darling Niklaus. Though I have not touched that power since Elijah put me on ice."_

"_What power are you talking about? What was it that scared Elijah so badly then?"_

_Daciana was quiet for a long moment before deciding to answer truthfully. "I have - _had _\- a distinct connection to Hell. When I was deeply uncertain with my abilities rooted nowhere, I turned to someone who could teach me."_

_Zina looked away from the Original, her dark eyes turning back out the windshield. "Lucifer."_

_She nodded. "Believe it or not, he has always seemed to take more interest or curiosity in our family than Remiel. He is there, if you know where to look."_

* * *

[Present]

Zina was crestfallen at first when nothing happened. Her fists clenched in her lap. Maybe she just couldn't do magic like Daciana or Nessa could. Maybe she wasn't meant to reach out to him and she had to wait around _if_ he ever wanted to tell her something. Why the hell had she even agreed to returning?

"Because you know your sister and daughter need you to keep them away from Remiel."

Her head jerked up instantly to find the blue eyed archangel sitting in her own window nook. The room had cooled significantly. "It… worked?" She mumbled.

Lucifer rolled his eyes. "Of course it worked. Did you honestly think Daciana didn't know how to reach me? She just knows better being one of the Originals because it starts to fry her mind or something. She was one of my favorites because of her loyalty but you're proving quite useful thanks to all of those psychic gifts of yours." He smirked. "So, what do you want? Because if it's just self-doubt then I can find more entertainment in my Cage."

Zina frowned as she stood. "It's not, thank you. Silas wants eternity with Amara by destroying the Other Side, but if he does that-"

"Then you lose your precious daughter forever. I can't just bring Katia back, Zina. You know that."

"I do, but Jeremy was brought back by Bonnie's sacrifice. A life for a life. That's how it works, isn't it?"

He smirked. "Most times, yes. But it's not just murder someone and you get your daughter back either. And you, my dear, are no witch of any kind."

"No, but I'm the closest thing to the dead, aren't I?" She held up her ruby bracelet. "I could see glimpses of the deceased my entire life. Every plant I touch rots in under a minute. If I could do more than _see_ through the veil, then I could save my daughter."

He had finally stood and began pacing slowly around her. "What you're suggesting is even more volatile than just the madness Daciana carries. I didn't put together everything I did to bring you back just for you to explode into chunks, Zina."

"It's because you made me come back that Katia is on the Other Side right now!" She exclaimed suddenly. One of the window panes cracked down the middle. "A life for a life. Hers was ripped away as payment because I got my powers back. Nature has a difficult time finding us Vasiles but it still does in the end. Klaus Mikaelson ripped my heart out in 1860. Why _the fuck_ did you make me come back in the 21st century?"

Lucifer was deathly quiet as he stood behind the Romanian. The minute felt like an eternity before he replied with only two words that shook Zina to the core. "Siya Vasile."

* * *

"So, as we know," Damon began with Jeremy sitting across from him, "in a psychotic lapse of judgment, Bonnie brought you back to life and died in the process. May she rest in peace."

Jeremy's eyes flicked to an empty seat before back to the vampire. "She's actually right over there."

From her spot hidden in a shadowy hallway, Zina watched the Bennett witch wave from the chair Damon thought was empty. Her nails dug into the wooden door frame slightly. Lucifer stood in the lit doorway unseen by anyone but Zina. "A human, really Zina?" He chastised. "You do realize he's a fraction of your age, right?"

_You're eons old and vying for the affection of our only human descendant who isn't even 30,_ she thought in response. If she even whispered Damon might have heard her.

"From the beginning," Damon explained, "Silas' whole bad-guy plan was to kill himself, pass on to wherever he was gonna pass on to, and reunite with his dead girlfriend, Amara. I want to use his death to bring Bonnie back to life."

Zina's eyes widened with horripilation. The son of a bitch had also thought of the life for a life. It was no wonder he and her sister were meant to be together.

"To die, he has to be mortal." Damon stated. "If he's mortal, then he's a witch, and if he dies as a witch then he's stuck on the Other Side forever."

"He already tried to bring down the veil to the Other Side. He failed."

Lucifer shrugged. "Maybe he has a plan B. Maybe he wants to do more than just drop the veil and let all the ghosts out." When Zina looked up to him curiously, he added, "Powerful spells are bound by something even more powerful - the moon, a comet, a doppelgänger apparently. The Other Side was made only 2,000 years ago, and it still exists. That means Qetsiyah must have bound it to something that could exist just as long."

The ravenette quickly dashed back upstairs to her sister.

* * *

Zina had helped Nova into the old gown while explaining the plan to her. She walked into Whitmore with her head held high and Damon on her arm. Her emerald eyes bounced around quickly, taking in each detail she could. She caught Elena dressed up as Audrey Hepburn talking to a guy presumably in her class and covered her scoff as a small cough when Damon shot her a look. How pathetic Nova thought it was that Stefan kept trying high school for so long it convinced Elena to try college near their stupid town. A whole eternity of life and those dolts chose basic schooling.

"_He says there should be a silver-looking amulet with Enochian engraved around it. It's not silver, it's titanium like angel blades."_

For the first fifteen minutes Damon wouldn't even let go of her arm as they walked around. With just the charm in her voice they interacted with some of the staff members. It became abundantly obvious that some of them were hiding something.

"_Remiel created an impenetrable rock to hide her mind and grace from her siblings, so Lucifer had Abaddon take one of the three of his feathers stashed away and infuse it to a talisman."_

Only when Damon caught sight of Qetsiyah did he kiss his fiancee and step away from her. With him out of sight, Nova was able to start searching the artifacts for Lucifer's talisman. Truth be told she could very well stop Damon from breaking his brother's neck repeatedly and helping Silas, but not only did she not care about Stefan, Nova had her own scheme to attend to.

* * *

[Flashback to earlier]

"_It can cut a rift between Hell and the Other Side with the right spell and magic since they're all connected. At the time of opening the rift someone of great sacrifice must die so Katia can step through."_

"_What happens if we cut the rift but don't get some poor soul to balance it out?" Nova asked as her sister tugged on the corset laces._

_Zina shrugged. "It's going to take _something _as penance."_

* * *

[Present]

"Jackpot," Nova muttered with a smirk when she found an artifact room. Everything was on display so nicely, except one singular talisman in a dimly lit corner. She snatched it right up and immediately felt the sheer, icy power radiating from it.

Why had Remiel made some rock to hide even from Lucifer if she loved him so much? Why had Lucifer retaliated by making some magical talisman? What had he ever intended on using it for, especially when he was in the Cage for so long? Not caring about the answers (or much of anything for that matter) Nova shoved the talisman between her breasts shoved so tightly together by the corset she wore. When she turned, she frowned seeing the youngest archangel in the doorway.

"You're not looking so hot there, whiny wings," she commented coldly.

Remiel touched her forehead where the skin was beginning to peel away from Runa's body. There were dark circles under her sinking, dark eyes. She also looked as if she had lost at least ten pounds; Runa's bones were becoming more visible beneath the nearly translucent skin. "Yes, that happens when a human body can no longer properly contain an archangel. I haven't got much time left before I need a new one."

"Well, I don't know how many times I've got to tell you," Nova boldly stepped forward towards the archangel, "but it's not going to be me. I know you need consent - funny thing about you bastards, really - and not a damn creature in this galaxy is getting my consent for _anything_. Especially using my body I've maintained for over a century and a half, thanks."

The archangel shrugged nonchalantly which set the vampire on edge. She began to casually stroll around the room, around Nova, looking at the artifacts. "I expect no less from you, Nova. Especially without your humanity. I'm certain I could threaten even the life of your beloved Damon and you still would not yield to me so why would I bother?"

_Because she has a backup already,_ the Romanian realized bitterly as her emerald eyes followed Remiel. _You wanted your brother's talisman too, didn't you?_

"Perhaps if you had that humanity we could have been a team. You would be strong enough to contain me and I could give you everything you ever desired. All of that pain, that rage, I could take it away and solve your problems."

"Not interested."

"Yes, yes, I know," she waved Nova off as she ventured behind the vampire. "Just another of you wenches so deeply invested in my brother." She shook her head. "You know that's why you can't find the switch anymore? Why there's no humanity left in you, Nova? Because it is my brother's will."

"Seems your brother has better style then. Get on with it, Remiel; what the hell are you doing here? Especially since you know there is no humanity for me to turn back on."

"Honestly, I was wondering just how deeply rooted my brother's influence was in you. I see now that it is in fact so deep within that it even counteracted the curse of the twins. Who would have believed you and Zina could ever be in the same state, let alone working together? I don't suppose you'd tell me how my darling brother spat her out to you, hm?"

Nova shrugged and crossed her arms, growing impatient. "I wouldn't tell you even if I knew. In case you didn't get the memo because you've been too busy plotting and rotting, I was locked in a cell for the whole summer and next thing I knew the sister I only relatively recently found out I had was clawing into my head because this time she's alive. I'd love to know myself, but we have more pressing matters; like ending _your_ life. And your daughter's, because that's what Saskia is, isn't she? She wasn't conceived by Runa in control or she wouldn't be as powerful as she is… or was. Hell if I know."

Remiel stopped when she came to the darkened corner the talisman _had_ been sitting in. "No, she did not. Runa had never wanted offspring of her own, but it was easy to convince her how successful the line would become through the ages. Truthfully, I had quite a bit of hope for her." Nova audibly scoffed. "Yet she let me down each time to think only of herself. If she had killed Silas, Amara, and Qetsiyah then all of this currently could have been avoided."

"No," Nova shook her head and turned to look at the archangel with spite in her eyes. "Saskia bent over backwards for _you_. It's what drove her literally insane to this very fucking day. She did everything you ever wanted her to." She stopped suddenly with a realization that brought a smirk to Remiel's dry, cracking lips. "You never wanted her to kill them… you _wanted_ Qetsiyah to create the Other Side."

"Ah, you and Zarya truly are the brightest of the blood. Katia was as well, mostly because she knew to take her knowledge and hide in the darkest corner of the Earth with her mouth shut. Of course I wanted Qetsiyah to create the Other Side. You think I wanted my precious Vasile women to wind up in Hell when they died? In my brother's jurisdiction? Absolutely not. I needed you all rounded up where _I_ had access to you, given the right opportunity."

Nova took a cautious step back as the talisman burned icily against her flesh beneath the corset. "_Get away from her,"_ she heard Lucifer's voice echo in her mind. "_Nova, take the talisman, and run! Now!"_

"I want Silas to fully collapse the Other Side," Remiel continued as Nova took another step away from her. "I want you all running for your lives and begging for mercy because only then will I reach in and take out the worthy. And knowing how foolish the lot of you are - in Mystic Falls, in Lebanon - you will all do exactly what I require without even realizing it and then I _will_ have a new vessel. I will have all that I want, need, and desire without any way of you idiots ever taking it away from me again!" A wrathful fire burned deep in her coal black eyes as she slowly advanced on Nova. "Without the Other Side you girls have nowhere to go but to me. Then the world will be darkened, the air pestilence to filthy humanity, and we will take what is rightfully ours."

_My Gods,_ the Romanian realized. _You had the fucking dhampirs. Saskia fried them all, but you had them imprisoned for future vessel use, didn't you, you fucking psychopath? You're the reason Katia is dead._

"Why don't you just be a good girl for once in your damned life and hand over my brother's little trinket?" She held her withering hand out demandingly. "He's been plotting against me, I can feel it. Just as I can feel that you have something of his creation from this room."

"Fuck that, and fuck you, thanks."

Nova grabbed two fistfuls of her gown and sped down the hall. She heard Remiel yell so loudly it broke the upstairs windows. To avoid being caught again by Whitmore, Nova ran at a remotely human pace down the stairs. A pang of angry pain struck her when she realized her long hair was no longer there to bounce as she ran. Instead, her _short_ hair had been pulled off the sides of her face with shimmering diamond clips. The talisman was held firmly between her breasts. Everything shook suddenly as if there was an earthquake. Hastily her emerald eyes scanned the party for _anyone_ at that point - Damon, Elena, Stefan, fuck even Silas or Qetsiyah would suffice. Eyes fell on her causing the rise and fall of her chest to quicken pace. Looking up she found Remiel glowering down at her from over the banister. She darted into the crowd even with the risk of being captured again.

* * *

"You need to call Damon and tell him you lied," Bonnie scolded Jeremy back at the boarding house.

"So, I can lie for you all summer as your witch translator, but when it's something I want-"

"Silas is too dangerous!"

"And bringing me back to life wasn't? Oh, right. It killed you!"

"I brought you back because Elena needed you."

Zina scowled in the darkened doorway she had been listening to them from. She mouthed Jeremy's reply of, '_Now she needs you_' with deep sarcasm before feigning to vomit. Were they seriously hung up about saving each other when there were _much_ more pressing matters at hand? How the hell did those two even become a thing? Zina masked her hurt with bitterness and anger.

"What about the consequences?" Bonnie argued. "Haven't we learned this by now? When you abuse magic, there is always a price."

"What's worse than this? What is worse than seeing you and hearing you… and not being able to feel you? This isn't enough anymore. Let Damon try to bring you back."

Before she rushed away from not being able to hear any more, a chill snapped up Zina's spine and she gasped.

"_Zina, you stupid, psychic pizdă for the love of eternity tell me you can fucking hear me."_

A psychic mind-link and speaking telepathically over a decent distance? That was mildly new for Zina, especially since she had been resurrected. "_Prove to me it's you then and not some trickery from Remiel or anyone else."_

"_Klaus ripped out your heart with Remiel's stone the same day I got on the boat from Romania to Virginia. Anything else? Or perhaps you truly do wish me dead?"_

"_Okay, okay; what the hell is going on? Did you get the talisman?"_

"_Of course I got the fucking talisman and now I've got Remiel on my fucking ass! Get me out of here before she or Whitmore collect me for who the fuck knows what and you'll never see the stupid talisman!"_

Reacting immediately, Zina dashed right upstairs. She hadn't even noticed the table she knocked over when she ran by or the glass the broke because of it. Bonnie and Jeremy jogged over to check out the noise. While Bonnie felt it had to be Silas or Qetsiyah, Jeremy's eyes were glued to the stairs. "It was Zina," he deduced. "She's still here."

"Jeremy, wait!" Bonnie called as he sprinted up the stairs to the second floor.

Jeremy looked down the hall each way, uncertain of which room Zina had fled to, until he found a door still partially ajar. At first he made his way slowly and cautiously, then he heard some strange language being spoken frantically by the Romanian resurrected vampire. When he opened the door, his hazel eyes went wide. How the hell was the vampire doing some kind of spell, or ritual? What the hell was she even doing surrounded by black rose petals and a chalice of… blood?

"Get out, now," she demanded hastily.

"Not until you tell me what you're doing because I'll worry about the how later."

Her jaw set tightly as she eyed him. Finally, she gave a small sigh. "I need to save my sister from Remiel and Whitmore _now_."

"Can you do it?"

_What an odd question, given the circumstances, little Gilbert,_ Zina thought lightly. She looked down to the chalice of her own blood and casually flickering candles. Her bottom lip trembled. "I don't know…" She admitted softly. "I need something to channel but nothing Nessa left behind is giving me enough."

"What about me?" Her eyes widened. "I've been a hunter, on the Other Side, you name it. Granted, Nova has some issues to deal with but she is still my friend. Her humanity is only off because I died. Can you channel through me to save her?"

"I… I've never channeled another person before. You're not even a witch."

"Yeah, and neither are you." He boldly stepped into her circle and put his hands over hers on the silver chalice. "This better really be for Nova."

She looked into his eyes with genuine sincerity. "I promise you that it is, Jeremy."

Zina closed her eyes and began chanting again. That time she actually felt the _click_. The flames of the candles ignited into tall and bright red flames. Jeremy could feel the pull of whatever magic she was calling forward. It hadn't been painful at all, but more like… it _merged_ the two of them. Their energies became one in sync with one another. It felt… powerful, and freezing cold.

* * *

Nova ran past everyone, kicking off her heels in the process and running barefoot. Each time she looked over her shoulder she saw Remiel closer and closer. When she finally made it outside, it was barely a minute before the temperature dropped and she could see her breath. Had nobody at Whitmore seriously cared about a rotting archangel chasing her through the damn grounds? If Saskia was in with Maxfield, could Remiel have allies in Augustine too?

Suddenly, Nova could hear chanting faintly in her head. It grew louder and stronger quickly until she recognized the Verbis Diablo they had been dubbing it. As the chant repeated itself, Nova joined in shouting it to the dark sky as only the moon bore down above her. She heard her sister's voice clearly, then Lucifer's, and… _Jeremy's?_ They all continued on and on until _poof_, Nova was gone. Vanished in dark purple shadows right in the middle of the yard.

Remiel let out a wrathful wail that shook the sky above.


	13. Will You Hear My Story?

13: Will You Hear My Story?

Jeremy stared down at the unconscious but breathing Nova laying suddenly on her bed. As soon as they had heard the '_thud_' Zina and he ran to the other end of the hall and found her there. For once she actually looked remotely peaceful. "That's… that's really Nova? We just zapped her here from Whitmore?"

Zina nodded as she approached her sleeping sister with relief lightly on her face. With her delicate, slender fingers she took out the clips and let Nova's hair fall onto the plush pillow beneath her head. A small ache bubbled in her chest as she gently touched the ends of her sister's hair. Sure, Zina had cut a few inches off of her own after she was resurrected, but never shorter than her shoulder blades. Even without her emotions Zina couldn't imagine how Nova _had_ to feel somewhere at least about losing so much of her beautiful hair. The ends of what were left were frayed and split, barely caressing over her shoulders. Strangely enough, for once in their lives, Zina felt no spite or animosity towards her older sister. She understood. She could actually feel her own humanity. If only Nova could have hers… Zina almost wondered if they could actually be sisters.

"Thank you, Jeremy," she told him softly. "I wouldn't have been able to do this if it wasn't for your help."

"What exactly did we do though? How can you do magic if you're a vampire? Let alone magic that strong. I don't even think Bonnie could do something like that."

"Because it's not witches' magic, Jeremy." There was a brokenness in her dark eyes when she finally looked up at him. "It's much stronger than that. And I honestly should not have been able to do it."

"Then how were you able to? I know it doesn't seem like it, Zina, since we're always trying to fight each other and whatnot," they both smiled a little, "but you're not so bad. I think you were the way you were on the Other Side only because of everything that happened to you and how long you'd been there." Her eyes widened slowly with each word. "Since you've been alive again you're actually not that awful. You're almost, kind of, a friend."

_A friend?_ Zina thought. _The only friend I'd ever had was Katerina… and where is she now?_

Finally, the ravenette sighed. "Vasiles… we can touch upon a certain kind of magic per se, but it's not the simple give-and-take of nature based witch magic. When Qetsiyah created the immortality elixirs and defied nature, it and she created the Other Side. When Remiel began her descent upon Earth and humanity creating our lineage, she cut open a pit into Oblivion. It takes a great trial for one of us to even dip a finger into Oblivion and so much as graze its power, but when we do… it leaves a bit of itself within. It latches onto the part that was already there to anchor us to it, but with the Other Side in the middle that acts as our supernatural purgatory. Which, by the way, actually exists. A story for another time though. The Other Side keeps us as we are on an unchanging plane. Without it we would be subjected to Oblivion for eternity. I have felt my anchor to Oblivion which is what gives me my psychic abilities, but without having ever gone through my own trial I have no direct access to Oblivion."

Jeremy's eyes had widened with deep processing. Every time they seemed to get an understanding of one supernatural thing, five more much worse would storm the field. "Then what allowed you to do that spell to bring Nova here? There's no way it was just channeling me."

"It wasn't… because I wasn't just channeling you."

"Who else could you have been channeling…?"

A deep sorrow filled her black eyes. She knew he would not like the answer. "Lucifer."

* * *

"You're a fool not to run," Nadia told Katherine. "Silas will find you."

"Or he won't." The elder vampire shrugged. "You're the one who said it - I'm pretty good at dodging the diabolical ones. Besides, Silas doesn't need me until he figures out how to destroy the Other Side. If he cures himself before then, he goes back to being a witch. He dies as a witch, well…" She mixed some tea. "Then he's stuck in supernatural purgatory. There's just been one outstanding question that's just been nagging at me for the last five hundred years. Where were you in 1498?"

Nadia was confused as she sat on the edge of the motel bed. "I don't know, I was eight. Why?"

"Because by 1498 I'd escaped, ditched the people that were chasing me, and found my way back to Bulgaria. I searched every village, every cottage, but I couldn't find you."

"You… you went back?"

"Yes, Nadia. I went back for you." She turned and handed her daughter the cup of tea. "Someone very sweet and very stupid gave their life so I could."

"Who would do such a thing?"

Katherine poured herself a cup of tea and sat in a chair across from Nadia. Her expression was unreadable, but it was difficult to mask the pain beneath. "Her name was Valora Vasile."

"Another Vasile?" The younger Bulgarian exclaimed.

She nodded. "After I had you and I was exiled, I found myself in England. Valora found me and offered me to stay with her family in the countryside. Her mother was a healer; she could tell immediately that I had recently had a child and so they took me in and helped me. Valora… she was genuine, and lighthearted. We actually became friends. We were at the town market getting things for dinner in 1492 when we met Trevor. He invited us and her parents to a beautiful gala in the city. Valora's parents even used some money they had been saving so we could all look nice for an evening."

There was a growing sorrow on her face as she continued. "It was amazing at first. I honestly never thought I would ever see Valora so free. We spent time dancing which caused us to lose her parents. She went to look for them and Klaus found me. When I heard her scream I didn't even excuse myself, I just ran. Daciana had murdered Valora's parents and was trying to kill her in the garden."

Nadia's eyes were wide. She nearly choked on her sip of tea. "Why would she do such a thing? They were merely innocent humans, were they not?"

"They were, but they were still Vasiles. And Daciana swore vengeance against _all_ Vasiles. Valora had tried to run, but Daciana was an Original. When I ran out, I saw Valora do… _something_. To this day I'm still not sure, but it caused Daciana pain enough for us to run. She had always secretly researched dark things that I paid no mind to until then. We fled with Trevor's help who brought us to Rose. But I had the moonstone and she wasn't trying to be on Klaus' hit list next so Valora and I got locked up to await Klaus and Daciana. That was when Valora came up with my escape.  
"She took a small dagger from beneath her sleeve that she had stolen from Daciana and told me to stab myself with it. She would call for Rose who would give me her blood to heal me, then I would kill myself to turn and use Valora's blood to complete transition and escape. I insisted there had to be another way out like whatever she had done to Daciana, but she just couldn't do it again. I wondered why she wouldn't just turn with me then, and her reply still haunts me to this very day."

"What had she said…?"

"'_Because you need human blood to complete transition, and there truly is no hope for my family. We are monsters."_"

"If a Vasile helped you escape Klaus, and you adopted another from Romania, why did you try to murder Siya and Zarya Vasile then?"

Katherine gave a single, dry, humorless laugh. "I've always had an odd relationship with the Vasile clan. When I returned to Bulgaria and couldn't find you, I instead found a faction of Vasiles trying to take the land since Klaus and Daciana had murdered everyone prior. It enraged me, so I murdered everyone I could. In the beginning of spring in 1841 I was coming into Romania when I got a strange letter by means of an all black Procellariidae."

"Those are decently common in Romania, but not an entirely black one that knows how to deliver letters. Usually they reside closer to bodies of water."

"Yes they do. And do you know where Vasile castle is in Bucharest?" Nadia shook her head. "In the forests beside Lacul Morii, the largest lake in Bucharest. Turns out a handful of all black Procellariidae were the companions of Alina Vasile who had told me a sad tale of her husband and his family compelling her life and becoming pregnant with a set of Cursed Twins. She made the contingency of Zina being given away for fear that the Mihais would abuse the curse and her children. She told me explicitly where the infant would be in Romania, the name Alina hoped she would have, and the ruby bracelet destined for the child. She begged I would care for her child just enough to allow Zina to live. I had already been forced to lose my own child; somehow I just couldn't subject another mother to that kind of pain."

Nadia was beyond stunned. While she tried to process all of that, something else still nagged her. "Then… then how could you bring yourself to watch a car with a mother and her young daughter go over a bridge and into water they could not survive?"

Katherine's countenance had become rigid and solemn. She thought for a long moment about her actual reason that never once had she spoken aloud. "Because… because it had to be done, Nadia. Remiel had found Siya and Zarya; she was closing in. Siya may have been able to tell her to fuck off, but Zarya would have been too impressionable and for Zarya to be Remiel's vessel is too dangerous."

Nadia set the cup down and rubbed her face tiredly. "I just don't understand. I… I can't. How did you know about Remiel finding them? How did you even know about them to begin with? Just… _why?_"

Heaving a heavy sigh, the brunette finally admitted the long buried truth. "Zina used to get nightmares, mostly when she was pregnant with Katia. She was psychic growing a dhampir baby so they were visions. We never knew exactly who the girl was, so I looked into it myself later. In one set, Remiel had Zarya for a vessel. The Earth was consumed by shadows and blood and fire. There was no surviving if you did not yield to Remiel. She was untamed mass destruction until there was _literally_ nothing left. Not even a single other Vasile or so much as a freaking _leaf_."

"And in the other set of visions…?"

"Zarya had the power to kill Remiel. Her power was in check, as great as it was. She was… content. She did what she had to do to survive. I knew what path she needed to be put on if we were to avoid her becoming Remiel's vessel and incinerating the galaxy."

"What path was that, aside from going over a bridge as a child?"

"She _had_ to, Nadia!" Katherine's voice rose with defensiveness. "Believe it or not, I hadn't wanted to but I knew she would be fine. I knew she would be back."

"How could you possibly know such a thing?"

"Zarya had to go to _him_. He's the only way Remiel can't touch her. Ever."

"_Who?_" The younger Bulgarian vampire stressed.

"Lucifer."

* * *

"What the hell have you done?!" Zina exclaimed when she made her way downstairs. Damon and Elena stood over a couch where a dried-up Silas laid.

Damon's brow quirked upwards. "What the hell have _you_ and your mischievous sister been up to? I took my eyes off of Nova for fifteen minutes and she's gone with a text from you saying she was here."

"She is here. She's upstairs asleep on her bed. Remiel was at your foolish dance anticipating Nova's being there."

"How… how would you have known?" Elena asked.

Zina rolled her eyes. "Psychic, duh? So you're welcome. Now what the hell is this?" She gestured to Silas.

Damon smirked. "Well, the only way for Silas to trade in his life for Bonnie's is if he's a witch."

"But the only way for him to become a witch again is with the cure."

"Yep." A knock sounded on the front door suddenly, prompting both women to look up at him. While Elena looked mildly more confused, the pieces were coming together for Zina. "Now, who could _that_ be?" He grinned and went to the door.

"What's so urgent? I am on the run," came Katherine's voice as she waltzed in. "Don't exactly have time for a pit stop."

Zina's eyes widened while they looked between Silas and Katherine. She was so busy assuming they had successfully _killed_ Silas that she didn't even consider the other option. Zina's heart raced a little in her chest; it was only a matter of time then before they were able to resurrect Bonnie. Sure, she had a possible way of getting Katia back, but was she really able to let herself let them get Bonnie Bennett back? Without Bonnie they would be down a witch, but Zina and Katia could easily fill that spot. Perhaps it was time for Zina to attempt the trial of Oblivion for herself.

"Damon, _no_," Katherine pleaded when she finally realized. She took a quick step back and looked to Zina. "Zina, help me!"

Damon looked to the raven haired Romanian curiously. Would she try something to protect Katherine? Her black eyes looked around at the four with deep contemplation. She wore Lucifer's talisman completely unnoticed around her neck with the actual pendant resting beneath her white lace shirt. It gave an icy burn against the flesh of her chest and she pursed her lips staring Katherine in the eye.

"My daughter is dead, Katerina," her voice shook for only a moment. Damon noticed then the way the Romanian accent presented itself in the emotion of her tone just as it would with Nova.

"And them letting Silas suck me dry to become a witch again is not going to bring her back!" Katherine argued with panic.

The Bulgarian realized then that it was not sorrow lingering in her progeny's dark eyes over the loss of her daughter. There was a dark determination. She had something planned already, but why was Zina willing to let Katherine die for it? Her eyes widened when she realized. Damon used his speed and strength to grab her and drag her towards Silas. "_Zina Arete_ what the hell have you done?!" She exclaimed just before Damon held her down for Silas to feed.

Slowly, as life began to fill Silas, Zina backed up to the stairs before sprinting up them. She hastily shook her sister awake and tossed clothes at her. "I guess we're doing the spell now."

"And why would that be?" Nova questioned as she used her speed to change.

"Because Silas is about to suck the life out of Katherine."

The elder twin's brow arched curiously. "So what? Aside from the fact that he's doing _me_ a favor."

Just the way Zina looked back at her sister, Nova knew.

"_At the time of opening the rift someone of great sacrifice must die so Katia can step through."_


	14. There's a Price You Gotta Pay

14: There's a Price You Gotta Pay.

It had been hours since anyone saw Zina or Nova. After Silas finished feeding the cure out of Katherine's blood, an ominous storm had rolled in. Thunder boomed so loudly it shook the boarding house when Katherine hit the floor. The thunder became so loud you almost couldn't speak over it. Lightning loomed in the violently dark clouds without ever touching down. At one point the power in the entire town went black for six solid minutes. Damon and Elena searched the entire boarding house and the grounds around it but were unable to find either of the twins.

Somewhere deep in the woods, even farther than the old Salvatore property, Nova and Zina laid unconsciousness in the dirt. It was clear that they both had been thrown back violently and skidded through the dirt for a few feet. Lucifer's talisman laid between the both of them. Some of the trees and patches of grass had started to decay in the surrounding area. There wasn't even a single coo of a bird for at least a couple of miles.

Nova came to first, her head lolling around a couple of times before her eyes pried open against the overbearing sunlight. Her head was pounding and body freezing. As she tried to sit up everything spun violently around her. She could only roll onto her side and try reaching for her sister. When her weakened and strained taps on Zina's arm proved useless, Nova mustered what she could for a full fledged _slap_ on her sister's chest. Zina gasped and began to cough, but found herself unable to sit up just as much as Nova. They both quickly realized they were all alone.

"It didn't work," Nova's raspy voice broke to her sister solemnly. "We fucked up." She rolled back onto her back and stared up at the sky. "I'll bet that Bulgarian _curva_ managed not to die. Again."

Tears welled in Zina's eyes as she also stared up at the mocking sky. Her chest ached deeply and a rage was growing within. She could hear Katia when the rift opened. She recognized her daughter's voice immediately. She reached out and _swore_ she touched the dhampir's hand if at least for a moment. "What are we supposed to do now?" She whispered through grit teeth.

"We've only got one other option right now, _soră mai mică_." Nova turned her head and looked to her sorrowful sister. "Instead of Bonnie coming through that veil when Silas dies, Katia does."

"Yeah? And how are we to accomplish that?"

"We offer Silas a payment he cannot refuse since his current bargain doesn't include anything of the sort." Her lips pulled into a smirk. "Saskia."

Zina rolled her eyes and turned back to the sky. She heaved a sigh, knowing there was actually another option. "You and I stand no chance of not only finding Saskia, but capturing or even killing her as much as I wish we could. That's just not something we can accomplish right yet. But I think there is something we can do."

"Oh yeah?" Finally Nova had the strength to sit up and look down at her sister. "What's your bright idea then?"

"We go through our trials." She looked up with determination at Nova. "We touch upon Oblivion."

Nova's brows both raised with an amused curiosity. "There is no guarantee that we can accomplish that, and even if we do what it could do to us. Are you willing to risk _everything_ on just another _chance_?"

Zina shrugged. "Who knows what we risked with this attempt? Clearly it didn't take Katerina, so it had to take something. What's it matter when there's a war going on anyways?"

Nova's manicured but slightly dirty hand stuck out in front of Zina. Her dark eyes looked up to find her sister on her feet holding her hand out for Zina. Without a thought she reached up and took her sister's hand, allowing Nova to help her to her feet. They stood toe to toe with their hands still together for a moment.

"Let's show these fuckers what the Romanian Vasile twins are made of then. _Familie înseamnă că nimeni nu este lăsat în urmă sau uitat._" **(Family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.)**

Zina smiled softly at their native tongue and nodded determinedly. "_Când ai probleme, familia ta e cea care te sprijină._" **(When trouble comes, it's your family that supports you.)**

* * *

"Where the holy Hell-" Damon started when the twins stumbled in the door. "What the fuck happened to you two?!"

Elena's eyes widened as well at the sight of the two; Zina had an arm around Nova's shoulders as Nova had one around Zina's waist. They both supported each other walking. Their hair was disastrous and they were covered in dirt. Silas was smirking at the sight with his arms crossed; he could see the remnants of _very_ powerful magic lingering over both sisters. "Are you guys alright?" Elena asked.

The twins both shrugged and continued to hobble their way into the room where they crashed together onto a couch. "Oh yeah, we're great," Nova grinned toothily up at her progeny.

"Just a little… sisterly bonding, I guess," Zina mimicked her sister's grin. What surprised both Damon and Elena was when the two then knuckle bumped one another.

"So help me if one of you is Remiel and the other is Lucifer," Damon started, "I have no issue snapping your necks."

"Well first off, _iubițel_, that wouldn't do you a whole lot of good against a couple of freakin' _archangels_, yeah?" Nova quipped.

Zina snickered. "Yeah, they kind of have this neat ability where they just snap their fingers and _poof_, no more you."

"Then what have you two been doing dabbling in very dark magic?" Silas questioned both playfully and genuinely curiously. "And _how_, if you don't mind. Considering both of you are vampires."

"Ah, come on," came Nova. "You should know how fucked up of an individual Saskia Vasile is. She kind of screwed our whole family. We're pretty big freaks."

"_Magic?!_" Damon exclaimed. "Dark magic? That's what you two were doing? How… what… why…" He grabbed his head with unimaginable confusion all over his face. Elena actually had to sit in a chair because she was almost unable to process.

"Well, if you can't tell," Zina answered, "whatever we had attempted mildly backfired on us." Nova snickered beside her, earning a punch on her upper arm. "Just a little sisterly bonding doing things we really shouldn't be."

"If you don't want us trying supernatural things then we could always go rob a liquor store or something basic like that." Nova offered with a shrug. "Maybe just stealing from your wallet." She smirked.

Damon pinched the bridge of his nose. "You already do that one."

"You're right. I guess we could steal from Elena's college fund instead. Or maybe just the college. Some Robin Hood shit."

While Damon and Elena were oblivious and easily thrown off by the twins' sudden collaboration, Silas was not. He could see something around both of the Romanians; something dark and freezing. There was a clear difference between the two as well; while Nova's darkness emitted off of her, Zina's was clung on like a parasite. He then noticed the talisman hanging from the younger twin's neck with Lucifer's sigil staring back at him. They were definitely up to something, and apparently something involving Lucifer himself. Silas cared less since it wasn't at the whim of Remiel as Saskia's life was. He wanted to see what a pair of supposed Cursed Twins could actually accomplish when they were both on the same level rather than one beneath Remiel and the other Lucifer. Both Zina and Nova were aligned with Lucifer. Who knew what they could accomplish?

* * *

"Alright, genius," Nova started when she emerged from her bathroom towel drying her damp, short hair, "how are we supposed to accomplish these trials or whatever being on house arrest? I was already being overly babysat but Silas had to go and throw us under the bus about dark magic."

"We need to get to Sofia," Zina replied from where she sat cross legged on the end of Nova's bed. Her hair was also damp from a shower. Both sisters donned clean clothes. "She's got the most magic of all of us to put us into the trials because she's done this the longest. Quite frankly I'm surprised she hasn't been swallowed by Oblivion yet."

Nova rolled her eyes. "Still doesn't explain how we'll get to her being stuck here. Untimely convenience for us that Bon-Bon isn't back yet or we would be spelled in here so try to think a little harder before they get Silas to do it. Why can't the little hermit come visit us for once? Mystic Falls would probably be a better place for her."

Zina made a face of pity, her dark eyes wandering out the window. "Sofia is the way she is because of the awful things she's seen in her lifetime. I gather that you feel nothing towards that, but from what I understand she probably deserves the most respect of all of us."

"What makes her so special then? She's clearly a vampire but she can do high level magic. Where's she get it then?"

"She's always had it. Sofia… she isn't… she's not a full blood Moroi. Her mother was Mireia - Cursed Twin of Claudia and both of which-"

"Dhampirs," the elder sister realized. "So who knocked Mireia up to make whatever Sofia is?"

"A Moroi. After she left her weaker sister essentially for the wolves she schmoozed her way into the Russian courts where some decently high ranking Moroi man married her and had a kid with her. She presented well enough to be Moroi, so to that community… that's exactly what Sofia was. She was groomed to be a Moroi, but there was always something lacking. In that missing piece sat very tamable, very powerful magic. She's not a dhampir, but she's not a full blood either."

Something actually almost touched Nova inside. It was as if a connection tried to be made, but it was having difficulty through the dark. There was still so much about the Vasiles that Nova didn't know. "Then she _should_ come here." Her tone was soft but adamant. Zina arched a brow. "This is Mystic freakin' Falls - home of the supernatural. Vampires, werewolves, witches, hybrids, dhampirs, you fucking name it and it's passed through or resided here at some point. She should feel right at home."

"You're quite right," came a new voice in the doorway. The twins' heads snapped over to find Sofia herself. "I suppose as a child I had always hoped for a real place to call home."

"How the fuck…?" Nova muttered with disbelief.

Sofia smirked, her arms crossed. "What? You didn't think with all my magic I wouldn't know what you two _idioty_ **(idiots) **were up to?"

"I don't understand," came Zina's soft voice. "What made you change your mind so easily? Why come here?"

"I'd like to assume my primary reason is about the same as the majority of us has become - one still human Zarya Vasile. There is something about the girl's determination and fire that's awakened us all she has seen."

Realization crossed Nova's countenance. "She's leading the rebellion."

"What?" Her sister questioned.

"Prior to Zarya we were all solitary creatures wherever the hell we were. One way or another we each had our own endgames and what we hoped to accomplish before someone managed to take us out. Saskia wants us to kill Remiel before watching the world burn and honestly probably then killing us because why not? Remiel wants her army of what she apparently presumes to be 'night creatures' to bloody the Earth and Heaven alike."

"And Zarya is storming through against them for the sake of free will," Zina put together. "All this time, each one of us that she has found, she has no reason to manipulate anyone. I don't believe she could even if she wanted to." She shrugged. "She's wanted us to wake up and realize what's really happening around us."

"Then I guess you both had better start doing the young one some good," Sofia told them sternly. "Are we doing this or not? The three men have ventured off to New Jersey in search of the anchor to the Other Side and your progeny, Nova, has fallen into a minor trap of Qetsiyah's because of her jealousy."

Nova shrugged. "Good, it means we shouldn't be disturbed for a while. Where do you want to set up shop?"

* * *

"This is fucked up," Nova complained from one of the cells in the back of the basement.

Zina laughed in the cell beside her. "Getting sick of being locked up places? I find it humorous."

Sofia had needed somewhere to be able to draw sigils across the walls and floors without being too conspicuous. That, unfortunately for Nova, meant the cells. Between both sisters' cells Sofia set up a table with candles and two blank, silver talismans. "The whole point of this is for the both of you to acknowledge your darkest truth," she told them. "If you cannot do that, then you cannot reach Oblivion. Are you both ready?"

The pair laid on the floors of their cells in the center of the sigils drawn down. Once they both consented, the Russian gave way to a soft sigh before chanting the incantation to put Nova and Zina under.

Zina opened her eyes to see the last cottage she shared with Katerina before Klaus found them. She stood in front of the front door with a boat ticket under the name Katherine Pierce, but why wasn't she running inside like she had? Zina just stood there fixated on the ticket until she realized what it was: she always had doubts. She could have easily taken the ticket and even the name for herself. Klaus would have gotten to the cottage and found Katerina. Zina could have had a chance to be free at least for a little while.

"You really should have taken it and ran, luv." She whirled around to find Klaus smirking behind her. "It would have given you, what? At least a century before you would have ran into me indefinitely. I would have been searching for a Vasile."

"Katerina was my friend," Zina defended. "She raised me when my own family didn't want me."

"But you know that's not true anymore, now don't you? Your daughter told you where to find her journal that told you everything. Your poor mother had been compelled for years. If anything, she tried to protect you instead of Nova."

"I don't regret sending Katerina to America. I don't."

"Keep telling yourself that, luv. It's comforted you this long, has it not?"

* * *

Nova let out a loud groan when she opened her eyes to see her basement cell without all of the sigils. She jumped to her feet and stormed to the steel door, banging on it loudly. "Very funny, assholes. You got me now let me the fuck out." Through the small, barred window she found that neither Sofia nor the table were outside. There wasn't even light coming in from the hallway because the door was open; it was pitch black. Her heart started to race a little faster.

"Bit of anxiety being in a confined space?"

She jumped and slammed her back against the door, eyes widening with a hint of anger when she saw Lucifer sitting on the cot in the corner. "Fucking angels, I swear. What the hell do you want?"

"Oh I want a long list of things," he smirked. "But what you _don't_ want is to be stuck in this little awful box ever again or anything of the sort. I can't blame you, Nova." He shrugged. "Going from this box, to a ditch in the woods, to a cell at Whitmore, and now back in your original jail. Your own personal Hell."

"Thanks for the psych eval. You ever considered giving yourself one?"

"I did once, actually. Read a book. Narcissistic personality disorder seems to fit well. Strangely enough though," he stood suddenly, "this isn't about me. It's about you. And the awful, bloody things that run rampant in your noodle."

"Well I sincerely doubt confronting my acquired claustrophobia has anything to do with that."

"Sure it does. It's actually the reason why you turned to me. Finally, by the way. You know what it's like to be locked in a cage by someone you love, and someone you loathe. You're tired of being controlled and confined. I get it, Nova. I do. You made the right choice coming to me."

She blinked a couple of times and tried checking her surroundings. She could feel the coolness of the metal door, though it was a strange feeling. "Is this… is this real? Or is it in my head?"

"Just because something happens in your head doesn't necessarily mean it's not real, Nova."

* * *

"Are you seriously about to be the tour guide through my subconscious?" Zina complained as she stumbled through a Romanian forest. Being claimed as a peasant woman she had been buried in a small cemetery that became an overgrown forest.

Klaus followed behind her with an amused grin on his face. Her white dress the mortician had put her in was getting stuck to almost every single branch possible. "You're the one leading the way, luv. I'm just here for the ride which means your subconscious invited me along. Some unresolved trauma I could imagine."

"No wonder Nova shut it off the first time," she muttered. She tripped over a branch just as she had when she was resurrected and fell to the ground. Her ankle throbbed with a fair sprain that wasn't healing. She layed back on the ground with defeat in her eyes.

Klaus scoffed as he stood over her. "Well it's no wonder you barely got anywhere when Lucifer dragged your sorry arse back; this is a pathetic sight to behold."

She scowled up at him. "I got resurrected without anything, dick. No speed, no healing, no magic. I've barely got fangs."

"So you lay here and sulk about it? In case you hadn't noticed, you were also resurrected without a beating heart in your bloody chest. I ripped that out, remember?" She hadn't actually thought about it or noticed for that matter. Was her chest really void of a heart…? "You had the guts to stand before me. If you can't stand up now then your bravery to me must have been a fluke. No wonder you died so easily."

With a fire that erupted from nowhere, Zina launched up with speed _and_ strength, uppercutting Klaus with all her might. She stood tall on both feet with the sprain having healed itself. Klaus laughed as he picked himself up and brushed himself off. "Ah, there it is! That same, wrathful darkness that buried itself within my sister."

Zina blinked a couple of times and took a step back, surprised by his words. "What are you talking about?"

"That drive - that _desire_ \- to keep fighting and surviving. Daciana was always the same. Always such a special thing. But there was, and still is, something dark and horrendous latched onto her. It's the same thing that's latched onto you; onto all of you. You're all abominations when you think about it. At least my mother's spell was balanced by nature. There wasn't anything even nature could do about you Vasiles. You're all monsters worse than the rest of us."

Zina's mouth opened then closed before she finally managed a slightly shaking, "That is untrue."

"But it's not, now is it, luv?"

* * *

"What the hell is this?" Nova sneered at a sign that read, Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted. It was stuck in the front lawn of the boarding house.

"This is exactly what's going to happen if you can't manage to have your humanity off _and_ be a proper sociopath with some kind of social connection." Lucifer explained beside her. "Damon doesn't bother stick around to keep the boarding house a boarding house."

"Why the hell not?"

"You're already pushing him away every time he brings up anything to do with the wedding you've been wanting for a century and a half. He wanted someone who would actually do something for him."

Nova's jaw set tightly with rage burning bright in her emerald eyes. "Katherine," she sneered.

Lucifer smirked and shook his head. With a snap of his fingers they were in the town square. He pointed behind her to a window of an office that read _Elena Salvatore, M.D._ Nova's right eye twitched noticeably. She took a step back, unable to look away from the window. "So she finally married Stefan… big deal."

"Don't you wish that was it." He chuckled before snapping his fingers again. That time they appeared in the cemetery, specifically at the Salvatore crypt.

In front of her face read a little memorial for Stefan Salvatore. "No. _Hell_ no. This is all in my head and you're trying to freak me out."

"Am I though? After about 130 years of being side by side with Damon, becoming his progeny even, you found out he had been searching for Katherine the _entire_ time. Is it really so much of a stretch that you could push him away to little human Elena?" When Nova made a face he added, "You think she wouldn't get cured eventually? She's the only one who never, _ever_ wanted to be a vampire. I think I can almost guarantee what happened is that they lived so happily ever after that Damon became human too and once they lived out their dreams they turned over the boarding house to become a school for offspring monsters."

Nova's mind was reeling trying to get a grasp on what she was seeing and hearing. Part of her wanted to run home into Damon's arms, but another wanted nothing more than to bash in both Katherine _and_ Elena's skulls. At least if she would push Damon away it wouldn't be into the arms of that same, stupid face.

"Ah! There it is!" Lucifer taunted as he pointed between Nova's eyes obnoxiously. "That look of vengeance. The thought of ridding yourself of even possible threats. There's always two ways around things for you - the diplomatic way which can more often than not put you in a lesser situation, and the beast's way where you so skillfully shred though everyone who opposes you. The first one had crossed your mind first, but the second seems so much better without your humanity. At least if you lose the love of your life you don't have to know he's happy with the doppelganger's face, right?"

She grit her teeth, fangs extending partially. "You don't know shit about me." She snarled before storming away. No matter how far she got she could still hear Lucifer laughing.

Nova stopped at the end of a street that oddly reminded her of Daniel and Lena's. Her jaw set painfully tightly when the Camaro she knew all too well pulled into one of the cookie cutter houses. She stalked forward, her heeled boots making no sound against the street. The engine shut off and three doors opened on the car - the driver's, the passenger's, and the back passenger's. She really did want what she saw to make her sad, to break her heart, but all it did was make her painfully angry.

Damon stepped out from the driver's side, Elena beside him, and a young girl from the back. Her face was shaped like Elena's, but her eyes were all Damon's. Damon and Elena seemed as if they couldn't see Nova and proceeded to head to their house. The girl, who could have been no older than 13, stared Nova in the eye across the street. Even with the light blue in the child's irises somehow they still looked as doey as Elena's.

"Stefanie!" Elena called with a half smile. It was then that Nova noticed her chocolate hair had been snipped to her shoulders and straightened. Her eye visibly twitched. "Come on, homework and dinner. Let's go."

The girl gave a small shudder that only Nova's eyes noticed before finally breaking eye contact and going to the house. Lucifer chuckled behind her. "Stefanie. That's pretty rich, isn't it? I'm sure you would have gone with something way cooler. You know, if you could have kids anyway."

"I suppose it's a good thing I never wanted any then," Nova retorted coldly.

* * *

"_Zina, help me!"_

Her pitch dark eyes stared back at Katherine once again like a void. Dessicated Silas laid on the couch of the boarding house, practically waiting to suck the life out of Katherine. Instead of Damon manhandling the former vampire, however, it was a more than eager Klaus. "What's it going to be, luv? Still going to let the little wench burn? Can't say I'd blame you after protecting her for so long. You've got your own problems to worry about now; a real life to live!"

"She doesn't die anyways apparently!" Zina argued. "Our spell didn't work which means she managed to survive _again_."

"Oh right, that pitiful attempt at reviving your daughter. You do remember that botched up spell you morons attempted still required something in exchange, yes?" He smirked.

She stepped back and looked away from them all. She still had no idea what was taken. Would it have been something from Nova or herself? "Yes of course I remember."

"Good." Something about Klaus' tone became not his own, causing Zina to look back up at him slowly. "Payment is due _now_, Zina Arete Vasile." With one hand and without looking away from Zina's increasingly fearful eye he snapped Katherine's neck.

A gasp escaped the vampire's lips. It came out as a small cloud of fog, indicating how rapidly the temperature of the room dropped. She ran for the door but of course it didn't open. The knob didn't even jingle. It barely felt like a real door. The cold was unlike anything even Lucifer brought.

"I am tired, Zina," Klaus spoke. No, it couldn't be Klaus anymore; just his face. But it didn't sound like Lucifer either. "And I am bored. For millennia now so many of you whiny, unworthy Vasiles would take my tests and it would just shred you. It's alright, I blame Remiel. God's worst decision ever. And I've met the Leviathan."

"Who the hell are you?"

"I am more of a 'what', child. While the Darkness spent an eon thinking up a bland human name for herself, and her half-witted brother wound up a pathetic alcoholic, my brother and I find no bother. I believe you are currently aware of the anchor to the Other Side?"

"I know it exists… but I don't know what it is. Wasn't exactly my mission to go on."

"Well you've got time so why don't you use that quick witted, freshly resurrected brain and make it useful for once? Silas and Qetsiyah are 2,000 years old. That was when they formed the Other Side and therefore its anchor. What else do you know is 2,000 years old and missing from the equation?"

"Saskia took off with her own immortality elixir after telling Qetsiyah that Silas was betraying her… for _Amara_… She seriously turned Silas into a rock and Amara into an anchor? That's some deeply rooted jealousy."

"Yes, well, all four of them are certainly going to get exactly what they all deserve in a matter of time. What you are going to give me, however, is my own anchor; an anchor to Oblivion, if your simple mind has not yet understood. You are acquainted with the dead; your mother was right to give you the bracelet she had. You're going to want to become much closer with the dead. Quite quickly."

A dark amethyst purple smoke rose up from the cracks in the floorboards. It perforated the walls and consumed every detail of the boarding house until it was no more. Klaus' figure was sucked into the shadow, leaving Zina alone in the darkness. A tendril shot out from the abyss, wrapping around her ankle and sucking her in. Her scream rang into the nothing practically muted.


	15. All Resistance Wearing Thin

15: All Resistance Wearing Thin.

Damon stared wide-eyed at yet another doppelganger as she stumbled around the warehouse shouting to be left alone. His eye almost twitched a little. Being so focused on Amara having the same face as Katherine and Elena he didn't notice the weight coming down on his chest. "Are you real?" He asked her.

Amara jumped a little. Her eyes kept darting around at nothing. "Are you?" Finally when she laid eyes on him she jerked backwards fearfully. "Stay away from me!"

He rolled his eyes. "Sorry, crazy pants, not gonna happen." When he reached for her, she actually fought back and slapped his hand away with all the force she could muster.

"I see it," she hissed as she attempted to back away again. "I see it climbing all across you just like _her_. You are one of them. You are one of _hers_."

"Look, if you're talking about Tessa, or Qetsiyah-"

Amara shook her head quickly. "Worse than Qetsiyah. Worse than us all. The darkness she touched… I see it on you! I know you are one of them! I knew there would be more and she should have been stopped long ago!"

Damon opened his mouth to say what he realized then, when the weight inside of his chest turned to an icy electric pain that brought him to his knees. He grit his teeth against the pain; something about it felt like Nova. "Saskia," he answered quickly while he had the breath. "You're afraid of Saskia Vasile. I'm not a Vasile, I swear."

"But you are bound to one," Amara argued. "That is why you feel what you do right now. She has touched the same darkness that Saskia did."

_What the hell could you possibly be up to now, Nova?_ He groaned in his thoughts.

* * *

"So, what," Nova commented as she twirled the engraved little talisman in her slender fingers, "we get to do magic now?"

Zina sat stiffly on the couch with her gaze fixated on her own talisman. Something else was clearly haunting her. "As long as you don't try to do something ridiculous _and_ screw it up," she replied quietly.

The elder sibling rolled her eyes as she sipped a glass of bourbon. "Listen, it's bad enough Sofia handed us these tacky little things before taking off like some vanishing act, but what fucked you up so bad in there that you've shrunk down to a tiny prawn?"

She was silent for a long moment before her lips trembled slightly and she spoke. "I found out what penance the spell took."

Nova's brow quirked upwards. She sat her glass slowly down on the table before it reached her lips again. "What did it take, Zina?"

Nova had to physically stand in front of her sister for Zina to finally look up at her. There was something vacant and disturbed in her onyx eyes. "Me." Her voice cracked a little. "It bound me to Oblivion, making me its anchor just like the one to the Other Side."

"How is that even doable? You're a living thing… for all intents and purposes."

"And so is the anchor to the Other Side; two-thousand years old, immortal, part of the trifecta that screwed over Qetsiyah."

Nova's face contorted. "Amara? You mean to tell me _that_ bitch is alive too after all of this fucking time? So, what, you two have one foot in the real world and one not? Pretty sure that's how at least most schizophrenics feel, sis."

"I'm serious, Nova. And yes, I think it's exactly like that. I can glimpse into the deceased with the help of my bracelet. I'm a Vasile vampire turned with Petrova doppelganger blood none-the-less. I was resurrected after being dead for over a century."

"Alright, fine, so what exactly is this anchor bullshit going to do to you? Gods knows we don't know a damn thing about Amara or what Qetsiyah's done with her the last couple of centuries."

Zina opened her mouth to say something when the front door flew open. She leaped to her feet, both sisters quickly stashing their talismans in their pockets. Jeremy stormed in, visibly upset, and went straight for the table of bourbon. "What's got your panties in a bunch?" Nova spoke first having no emotions.

"It didn't work," he replied briskly as he chugged down half a glass. "Silas found out the anchor was Amara, awoke her with his blood that cured her, and vanished. We couldn't get Bonnie back."

Both of Nova's brows raised that time and she gently elbowed her sister behind Jeremy's back with a subtle smirk. An ominous chill crept painfully up Zina's spine suddenly. She resisted the urge to shudder in front of her sister and Jeremy but she knew damn well that the energy just wasn't _right_.

"You care for that human boy, yes?"

Zina's eyes slid nonchalantly over to a nearby chair where a woman sat suddenly. Her hair was long, straight, and snow white much like her flesh. She wore a dark purple, bell sleeved blouse, black slacks, and purple heels. Her eyes were even more light blue and piercing than Damon's. They felt as if they were slicing right through whatever Zina might have had for a soul. Could neither Nova nor Jeremy see her?

_Oblivion,_ she morbidly realized which made the woman grin even with how bored her icy eyes were.

"It is just you and me, child. They cannot see, hear, or feel me as you are the only thing that connects me to this world. I was thinking it over, though, and I suppose I could do with some sort of name. Always being referred to as the Darkness, or the Empty, or Oblivion all of the time is rather exhausting. Gets boring as well." She paused, almost waiting for Zina to speak, when she laughed lightly. "Oh, that's right, first timer. You must be petrified to respond to me. Wise, currently, as you cannot phase between realms yet. I wonder if you will be half as talented as Valora is."

"Tell them it's for the best, Jer," came Bonnie's voice. Zina's eye twitched a little.

Oblivion sighed and rolled her eyes. "Why is that supposed to be consoling from one human to another? Why bother attempting to console one another? They all die off eventually with this misconstrued pretense that they will become angels in Heaven. Human souls can't become angels. Who even started that rumor?"

Zina stood there while everyone talked back and forth, practically forgotten. Oblivion commented away relentlessly, Bonnie tried to console Jeremy, and the next thing she knew she was hearing whispers. Watching Bonnie stare up at Jeremy with sad and loving eyes… it made Zina vulnerable. The whispers grew louder until she heard about twenty different voices. Some she could understand as they begged for recompense or to be released from their eternal prison. She would have figured the way she was beginning to lose her grip that she would hear her own vitals in her ears, yet she heard nothing of herself.

"The girl without a heart," Oblivion commented. "That is why you are my anchor, Zina Arete. When Niklaus took your life by ripping your beating your heart from your chest, not even Lucifer could give you one back with your life. It's not terribly important, not that I've noticed anyway." She shrugged. "I don't have one. It has never bothered me. Then again, I've also been locked away on an astral plane for eons. Family always does have the easiest access to ruin you in the end, child."

"I need to go," Zina muttered quickly. She just caught everyone's attention before she zoomed out the door, completely unreachable.

"Okay," Damon drawled. "Well, Amara's been cured, which is even worse because now she's easy to kill, so the fate of the Other Side, where Bonnie currently resides, rests on a living, breathing human being that we now need to protect."

Nova's maroon lips pulled into a deep frown. "_We_ need to protect?"

Damon guided the Romanian and her progeny outside to the vehicle where he opened the back hatch and revealed _another_ Petrova doppelganger bound, gagged, and freaking out. "Ladies, meet Crazy Pants. Crazy Pants, meet Elena and Nova."

As soon as Amara laid eyes on Nova and recognized her as a Vasile she started to flail even harder. Nova's mouth was ajar as she stared at yet another look alike. "Oh, you have _got_ to be fucking kidding me."

* * *

"What are you doing here?" Stefan questioned when he saw Tessa sitting on his bed.

Her face was paler than normal but it didn't mask the spiteful emotions. "Do you have any idea what it's like watching history repeat itself?"

"You're hurt. I can heal you."

"No, no. I want this wound. It's a reminder of what you really are. See, memories are important. I made a mistake when I found you. I eased your pain. You used to have a lot of pain. Remember?" She raised her hand in his direction and he doubled over in pain. "You killed your own father and forced your brother to become a vampire." She continued on as Stefan clutched his head in agony. "And that wasn't even the start of your reign of terror. As soon as you laid eyes on innocent, human Nova Vasile you became enraged with hatred. You helped make her the monster she is today by giving her an outlet for a hatred she never should have had. Then you found _her_."

"_I'm Elena."_

"_I'm Stefan."_

"Didn't last very long, did it?"

"Stop it," Stefan pleaded. "Stop it, please!"

"_What the hell happened here?"_

"_I don't know, father. She… she was belligerent. And fell."_

"Now someone who never wanted to be a vampire is one. Even better: she's the creation of the woman you despised for so long. But the ending's the best part because you actually felt real pain. Physical pain. _Torture._ Remember?"

"_Hello, my shadow self."_

"You were trapped in a safe and tossed in a quarry. Water flooded in. You tried to scream, you tried to escape, but all you could do was drown over and over and over again. The only thing keeping you sane was that one day one of the two people you loved would come rescue you, but they didn't. I did. Always remember that."

* * *

Nova had locked herself in her bedroom, refusing to answer even for Damon. She couldn't reach Zina, Zarya was drowning in her own issues, and there was yet another gods damn doppelganger. Hatred was clawing up her spine and across her icy heart. How could that one face have continuously haunted her through a century and a half? She wanted nothing more than to murder them all. She didn't even care about Elena being her progeny anymore. She never cared about Katerina being Zina's sire. The only thing truly holding her back was that if she killed Amara then she would lose _everyone_ on the Other Side. And there was no way for her to have enough control to shred just one or two of them. No, if she was going to finally get rid of that gods forsaken Petrova line then it would be all of them in one swift go. Yet even with no sign of her humanity she knew she couldn't just decimate the Other Side. She couldn't _feel_ why, but in her mind she knew.

_Siya. Katia. Alina. Clara. Nessa. The dhampirs._

Gods only knew who else for just Vasiles, let alone anyone worth wild from Mystic Falls. She thought of Bonnie, but then her sister's face flashed before her eyes. Who would have figured over a century in a supernatural purgatory would have caused Zina to care for Jeremy Gilbert of all creatures? Even if Zina wouldn't admit it to herself, Nova recognized that strangely gentle look to a lovesick girl's eyes. She saw it in her own eyes for far too long.

Nova had once remotely cared about Bonnie Bennett. She was a magnificent witch and a decent person. Yet she had come to realize that she and Zina had been pitted against one another with purpose by Remiel. When it came down to it, somehow even without her humanity and emotions, Nova remained loyal to her twin. Things could have been so different under other circumstances.

Thoughts of Zina, Zarya, Damon, and everything happening flooded the Romanian's brain and made her head spin. Memories haunted her, visions tormented her, yet still she could not find that fucking switch. Nova _wanted_ to feel again. She clawed around hopelessly in an attempt to dig through yet nothing she tried could make her feel a damn thing. No amount of love for Damon, no loyalty to Zina, no desire to protect Zarya, not even the will to live anymore. Everything had cracked and broke around her. As each piece fell it shattered when it reached the bottom.

That was when she realized the horrible truth: her humanity switch had been _fried._ She flashed back to Lebanon and helping Zarya, recalling Remiel's clutch on her skull and the rapid Enochian and Verbis Diablo. Sure, she had been attempting to breech Nova's mind and take over but Nova's will to fight back caused a surge. When the hostile takeover back fired it destroyed the part of Nova that gave her the will to change and feel. So she could morally know in her mind when something was right or wrong, but there was no possible way for her to feel a connection to anything. Even if she acknowledged that doing something was wrong it might not be possible for her to stop herself from doing it anyways because she wouldn't _care_ that it was wrong.

Nova began to panic as the thoughts of murdering the doppelgangers grew stronger. After hours of being locked tight her door finally flung open and she half jogged over to Damon's room, hoping for some kind of solace. A dark chill began to creep up her spine when she found the room empty. Her foot took a step backwards to leave, but her body remained still in the middle of the room. She wasn't sure what made her remain there, staring at the empty room. Part of her could still feel her beloved's presence around the room. She could hear faint echoes of the memories they shared, the laughs that rang through the nights. Her hand ghosted over her clothed upper thigh where her tattoo for him would forever be.

She wasn't sure how something so miniscule caught her eye, but it did. Nova managed to notice the smallest difference between a couple of floor boards almost under the bed. It looked as if one had been taken up and put down a fair handful of times. Her body moved on its own towards the board. She slowly dropped to her knees with her eyes never leaving the one wooden board. Her hand reached out to brush against the wood, feeling the difference. It was a little hidey hole. With minimal effort she was able to take up the board and find what laid beneath: a slightly ornate black box. Removing the box from the hole in the floor she lifted the lid to find dozens of envelopes with her name in Damon's beautiful cursive across each front.

For the first time in too long she felt a thud inside of her chest. The simple gesture startled her enough to slam the box shut and take off with it without putting the floor board back down.

* * *

"Morning," Elena greeted with a gentle smile after Stefan awoke from another nightmare about drowning in the quarry. "I made coffee. How did you sleep?"

"Not great," he muttered before taking the mug from her. "So, uh, what's with the wake up call?"

Elena looked down and away, avoiding eye contact. "I miss you…" She admitted. "I feel like when you lost your memories, I lost a part of myself too. And I was thinking," finally she looked back to him, "instead of just describing how much we meant to each other, maybe we could just start fresh." She smiled again and held her hand out to him. "Hi, I'm Elena."

He stared at her blankly for a moment before finally responding. "I was driving to Portland."

"What?"

"The night I took Silas to the quarry, after I brought you home, I helped Damon lock Nova in the basement, left, I said goodbye to Lexi, and then I decided to keep driving west."

"Wait, hang on; how do you remember that?"

"Because my memories are back."

"Really? Are you serious? How?"

"Tessa came here last night and she undid whatever spell fried my brain and it's all back. I can remember everything."

Elena smiled brightly and hugged Stefan. "Stefan, this is great!" He remained stiff beneath her hug which prompted her to pull away. "Isn't it…?"

"I remember everything, Elena. Including what I've done to Nova."

"What do you mean…? The accident that caused her to turn?"

He shook his head. "June 18, 1860." Her eyes widened.

* * *

[Flashback; Monday June 18, 1860]

"What are you doing, Nova?"

The ravenette jumped at the sound of Stefan's voice in her doorway as the floorboard fell back into its place. She was on her feet in a second with something clearly held behind her back and pink embarrassment on her cheeks. "I… I may have heard that today is Damon's birthday." She smiled softly.

Stefan's expression was rather cold and stiff. "We stopped celebrating our birthdays years ago, Nova. Just leave it alone."

Her head tilted to the side with a sorrowful curiosity in her emerald eyes. "What? But why? Is it not customary to exchange a gift on the day of your birth in this country? I merely wished to give him a token as if to say I am glad that he was born on this day. Is yours anytime soon, Stefan? Oh, and what about G-"

"Enough," he barked at her. "Yes, most people here will give a gift for someone's birthday but that is not what we do in this house. Not anymore. Whatever you were going to give him either keep it to yourself as it was or toss it in the garbage."

Her eyes widened and glossed over with the warning of tears before Stefan walked off. Her hands shook as they held a crystal bottle of Romanian Vasile brandy behind her back still. She pursed her lips into a tight line, refusing to give in and only craving to know what happened to the Salvatore family birthdays.

Some time later Stefan found the door to his father's study slightly ajar. Upon investigating he found Nova holding a familiar photo in her hands that had been kept in Giuseppe's desk drawer. "What the hell are you doing in here?!" He yelled.

The shout frightened Nova who dropped the photo onto the desk. Four faces stared back up: Stefan, Damon, Giuseppe, and a woman she could only assume was the brothers' mother. Stefan had been a young child in the photo, Damon possibly a teenager. "I- I do apologize, but I had to know what hurt you in such a way about a birthday. Is this it…?" She asked softly, holding the picture back up. "Is she the reason your heart cannot celebrate anymore?"

Stefan snatched the photo from her hand harshly, shoving her out of the way and putting it back in the drawer. "It is none of your damn business, Nova!" He yelled at her, causing her to shrink back some. "God, why the hell did you have to end up with us? So clueless and can never mind your own business. You should have just stayed in Romania. You don't belong here."

Tears welled up in the girl's bright eyes. "Why is it you do not like me, Stefan?" Her voice was small. "I did not ask to be here. I did not have a path laid out for me. I did not know the ship I boarded was coming here. All I wish to do is show you and your family how grateful I am that you took pity on my sudden arrival."

What was it that Stefan hated so much about Nova? She honestly could have been a Salvatore just looking at her. The green eyes Stefan shared with his father, the black hair Damon shared with their mother. On top of that she was just as kind hearted as his mother had been in her life. The delicate features, warm smile, bright eyes… she could have easily been their sister in another life. And Stefan loathed her for it. He was finally overcoming his grief over the loss of his mother and then Nova had to go and show up. It was no wonder Giuseppe took pity on her when she looked remotely similar to his dead wife.

"You do not belong here," Stefan told her again. "Not in this family, not even in this town!"

Nova bit her lip trying to keep the tears from spilling. "_Du-te dracului_, Stefan." **(Screw you, Stefan.)** She told him through grit teeth before running out of the office and back upstairs.

Stefan followed moments after her, catching her as she was exiting her bedroom with the crystal bottle. He knew Damon and his father would be back anytime; he couldn't allow her to her to give Damon the stupid bottle. They argued more at the top of the stairs where he tried to take the bottle from her hands. She cursed at him in her native tongue as she fought against him just trying to kill enough time for Damon and Giuseppe to walk in. Stefan knew just by the way it felt when he grabbed the bottle one more time what was about to happen. He watched Nova's foot slip over the top of the first step and her emerald eyes widen with fear. In a last ditch effort and decision, Stefan let go of the crystal bottle which caused the ravenette to fall backwards down the stairs. His green eyes witnessed her hit each step until she landed on the floor with the brandy bottle in smithereens.


	16. Show Me How Defenseless You Really Are

16: Show Me How Defenseless You Really Are.

As soon as Damon stepped into his room he stiffened. The floor board beneath his bed had been moved and left open, the black box containing his letters to Nova gone. He immediately ran down to Nova's room only to find her door open and no sign of her. He darted downstairs searching hopelessly. The only thing he did find was the keys to her Firebird gone along with the car itself. He started cursing loudly until Stefan and Elena entered.

"What's going on?" The younger Salvatore asked quickly.

"Nova's gone," Damon told him with stress all over his face. "She found my letters, took her keys, and left."

Their eyes widened. "Where do you think she would go…?" Elena asked softly. _She's not going to lash out and murder people, will she…?_

A spark of hope ignited within Damon suddenly. There was one person she just might run to for solace.

* * *

Lethia saw the pure distress in her best friend's face and eyes immediately. Her pale hands trembled around a black box and she said nothing. Without a word the blonde wrapped her arms around Nova and held tightly regardless of her swollen belly and the box. She then ushered Nova into the French Quarter and quickly up to her room without being noticed by anyone still lingering around. She shut and locked her door before sitting Nova on the edge of her bed. Still, the ravenette didn't let go of the box.

"What happened, Nov?" She asked softly as she sat beside her best friend.

It took a moment before Nova inhaled a shaky breath and spoke at last. "My humanity… it's fried. Gone."

"What do you mean?"

"When we went to rescue Zarya from Remiel, the angel bitch did something to me. She was trying to force herself inside my head. All she managed to do was fry parts of my mind including… including my humanity switch." She looked into Lethia's golden eyes. "I can't find it anymore, Thea… it's _gone_."

The blonde's breath shook a little at the news. "A-are you sure, Nova…?"

Nova leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and her face in her hands shamefully. "I've tried so fucking hard to find it… any excuse, any reason; I've pleaded for it to return. To feel _anything_ again. Guilt, sorrow, pain, _anything_! I've clawed at the walls of my mind but there's nothing there anymore. Everything is just… gone. All that remains is the mental acknowledgment of what's what. I _know_ that I love Damon, and you, but I… I can't _feel_ it, Thea. I can't _feel_ anything anymore. It's all just words."

Lethia stared at her long time best friend with deep sorrow and compassion in her glistening amber eyes. An odd feeling began to form within the depths of her pregnant belly. Her child was almost weeping for Nova as well. Without a word, Lethia gently took her friend's hand away from her face and placed it on her belly. Nova jumped a little at first, then looked confused at the gesture. Lethia merely gave her one of her infamous, sunshine warm smiles and held the vampire's hand in place. Something flashed in Nova's emerald eyes when she felt the child kick beneath.

"Hayley is having a girl," she told Nova softly. "I was too afraid to find out… especially when the witches started getting all prophetic about it. But I can feel that my baby is sad for you. That it wants you to find your fire again."

Nova's eyes wandered slowly to their hands on her belly. The baby gave another kick for Nova to feel and that was when something else came through. It was almost like a little tether of a hand trying to reach out to her. Her brows raised when she realized what it was - the child was trying to connect with her. Curiously, Nova focused and pushed her own energy forward to the child. There was another forceful kick against Lethia's flesh beneath her shirt when Nova smiled softly. The upturn of her friend's lips was a pleasant surprise for Lethia whose hand tightened around Nova's.

"You've got a daughter too," the Romanian spoke barely above a whisper. Lethia's eyes widened a little. "She's trying to give off her magical energy already, I can feel it. She wanted me to."

The blonde smiled brightly with happy tears glistening in her eyes. "She wants her aunt Nova to know that she will always be loved and cared for; that we will figure this out."

* * *

_So many_ voices whispering all at once. Every language imaginable. Zina's head was _pounding_. She had begun to worry if she was going to have an aneurysm. She had hightailed it out of Mystic Falls, then out of Virginia, and out of the states in total. No matter where she went she heard them all. It was too difficult to differentiate each and every single one. Once and a while she heard a chuckle from Oblivion as the celestial just watched her endure the souls swallowed through the eons. How many were there? Who were they? How did they end up in Oblivion? Were they all Vasiles? Her own bustling thoughts combined with the never ending voices were beginning to drive her mad.

Zina's hair was in disarray, her clothes wrinkled and having gone unchanged for a couple of days. There were dark circles beneath her bloodshot eyes. At first when she chugged back a couple of blood bags it dimmed the sounds of the voices, but it didn't take long for that to not work anymore. She found herself on a flight wondering how the hell she ended up there but at least it was first class. Her hand wandered over her chest where her heart should have been beating rapidly, yet she felt nothing. She could hear the heartbeats and pulses of each human on the plane with her, the way their blood flowed delicately through their veins. She let her head fall against the small, cold window and stared forward trying to ignore it. Her fangs ached beneath her gums but she knew better; it was just the anxiety and feeling like she was going insane. She wasn't actually hungry, she didn't _need_ to feed. And she wasn't going to tear through a plane of innocent humans. She wouldn't even risk feeding on one and compelling them. It was far too dangerous. What if she blacked out and killed them anyway?

When the plane finally landed she found herself in Romania. But why though? When had she even acquired a ticket to Romania? Too many chunks of time had gone missing from her memory. Maybe she had murdered people in those blackouts. She couldn't be sure. At Bucharest's airport she checked herself in the bathroom mirrors finding no blood left behind on her clothes so either she hadn't fed on anyone or she was really clean about it. Her eye twitched slightly the longer she stared at herself; she really was losing her mind. Her arms wrapped around herself, hands clutched just beneath the burn scars on her upper arms. For a moment she flashed back to the horrid night and felt the fire and helplessness all over again. Part of her wondered if the son of a bitch was still alive somewhere. He was a Moroi so he very well could have been.

"Are you alright?" A gentle voice broke her from her thoughts. At long last even the whispers silenced.

Zina whirled around to find a simple human girl with light brown hair and deep grey eyes. She honestly looked just about as distraught as Zina with her hair a mess and dark circles beneath her eyes. She even seemed to shake a little. "Are you?" She retorted in a soft tone.

The girl looked away. She had been having difficulty keeping eye contact as it was. Her feet shuffled nervously and Zina could smell the salty tears brimming in her eyes. "I… I'll be fine… it's not important…"

"Someone hurt you," the ravenette realized. She bit the inside of her cheek as her hands ghosted below her scars again. "It's okay," her voice started to crack even at a whisper. "Someone hurt me once too…"

The girl looked up at her as Zina had an extra few inches of height, especially with her heels on. "Really…?"

"It… it was some time ago now," she admitted, "but the memory will never go away. Neither will the scars."

"Did you… did you know them?"

She shook her head. "I was walking home from getting groceries when I was… attacked." Her voice audibly cracked on the word. "The sun had only just set. I was less than half a mile from my home. Only the woman who raised me that I lived with knew. She took care of my wounds but… but we found out I was pregnant." The girl's eyes widened. "I carried to term, and I gave my daughter away thinking someone could raise her better than I could."

"And did someone…?"

"More or less, I suppose. I know she resents me for it and I don't blame her at all. Regardless of her upbringing she still became such an amazing and brave young woman. And I know I couldn't have given her that back then. Not after how broken I had become…"

The girl was quiet for a minute, staring at her feet as she took in Zina's story. Finally, her soft voice spoke. "I come from a very poor family in Ukraine… my father…" Her lip and voice began to tremble. "He needed money - he owed gambling debts, and I had a baby brother to feed, so he…" She sniffled and put her hand over her mouth as she relived it all. "He sold my body to strangers… let them hold me down, beat me, do as they please until I complied… I know I turned my back on my mama and brother, but I stole some of the money and ran. I don't remember how many planes and trains I took until I was far away from my country. I still don't feel far enough…"

Emotion shined deep in Zina's dark eyes. Without warning she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the girl. She couldn't have been older than eighteen, if she even was eighteen at all. The girl began to shake and cry. Tears welled in Zina's eyes but she choked them back. She rested her head against the girl's and gently rubbed her back. "Don't you stop running. And don't dare look over your shoulder. You know what?" She stepped back with a gentle smile before fiddling through the one bag she had sitting on the sink counter. She wrote something down on a napkin before wrapping it around something. "I want you to call this number and tell the woman that Zina is sending you her way for a new life. She'll get you a new name, a legal passport and paperwork, and by this time tomorrow you'll be in the United States with a new life to lead. How does that sound?"

The girl's eyes widened as big as they could. "Wh-what?! Are you serious, miss?"

"Absolutely! Everything here should cover your transportation to get to her and the fee for her to do everything. She'll take care of all of the papers and put you on a plane. So in that time you look at a map of the states and pick one you want to go to. Start fresh; be someone new. You deserve it."

With tears falling down her cheeks the girl lunged and hugged Zina tightly, thanking her repeatedly. Before she left she wiped some of the tears and looked to the ravenette with the most hope filled smile the vampire had seen. "Perhaps you could start fresh and be someone new, too, miss Zina. I believe you also deserve it."

Zina watched the girl eagerly rush off to start her new life and thought about her words. She really could be, couldn't she? She had been growing closer to her twin whom she was always damned to loathe and attempt to kill which was a start, but still she was haunted by her past which kept her in the same infinite loop. Walking out of the bathroom with her bag slung over her shoulder Zina decided she was in Romania to make a change to herself. She wanted to be better.

* * *

_September 13, 2009  
__Darling Nova,_

_Steffie joined a high school football team! I've laughed so much I feel like I almost popped a lung. You should see him in his jersey. I'll have to get pictures.  
__He thinks he so bold by giving Elena a vervain necklace so I can't compel her like I have to her friend Caroline. Caroline talks so frequently for a girl with a vocabulary not as large. I think playing around with her is going to be the thing that requires the utmost of my patience. You would be laughing at me like I have been at Stefan in his little jersey and helmet.  
__I have to say though, human high school girls are definitely welcome to remain annoying the human boys rather than me after all of this is over. Yes, the things I will do just to know the truth once and for all. Haha, Damon's a sap. I can still hear you say it just like it was yesterday._

_Love, Damon_

Nova chuckled a little at the random letter she had selected. Lethia told her to stay in her room while she sorted things out with Klaus and hopefully could figure out something to do for her. The connection made to her niece prompted her to read Damon's letters. Maybe, just _maybe_, it could get her to feel _something_. She figured it could get confusing reading them in a random order, but she didn't care or mind. She would get the gist. And so one by one she opened and read each individual letter.

_December 12, 2009_

_Two timing bastards is exactly what Stefan and Elena are. It relates to my opening the tomb so you wouldn't care deeply, just know that they betrayed me. I guess I deserve it in a way; karma having come for me. I did what I had to in order to achieve what I need. I don't give a damn about Elena so I have no issue using her as leverage. Then she goes and gets kidnapped and Stefan blows me up all day to help.  
__Seriously bro? Go fuck yourself. She's a straight - what do they call it again? Oh yeah, a "Mary Sue". She's a sad little Mary Sue. Then she comes sobbing to me about how they're genuine and they want to help and blah blah blah. I'm giving them this one final chance solely on the base that I doubt I'll ever see you again. Especially when I free Katherine.  
__But if I'm never going to see you again, then I have to work harder to free Katherine._

_Love, Damon_

Nova's heart gave an extra hard thump in her chest. "He really thought I'd never come back," she muttered as she thumbed over the inked words. She put the letter back in its envelope and pulled out another. She hoped it would be something more amusing, only to find it was the exact opposite.

_December 17, 2009_

_You were right. Honestly, I'd prefer to end it with that. If you were here it would, but you're not and with good reason. She wasn't there. She wasn't in that fucking tomb. All this time, all that's happened to us, it was for NOTHING. You were right, dolcezza. She played us. She played me. Again.  
__What the hell am I supposed to do now? Find you? Even if I did I'd have to hunt you down ten more times just to get you to listen to me admitting that I fucked up yet again. Once again I allowed Katherine Pierce to cause me to push you away.  
__I'm so sorry, Nova. If you do return to Mystic Falls and I'm still here, I hope you turn around without saying hello. You won't like what you're going to see and I don't deserve your sympathy, empathy, or any general affection. I hope if you do come back to Mystic Falls you give Elena hell just for having that bitch's face. I don't foresee you liking Elena anyways._

_You know what? Don't come back to Mystic Falls. Ever. I really hope you don't because it's only going to destroy you. Why am I still going to be sulking and causing trouble in this hell hole? Well, it's all I've got left. So until Stefan or someone actually kills me or successfully dessicates me, I'll keep on keeping on. Just don't ever come back here, especially not for me. I don't know if you've realized it by now, Nova, but I'm not worth it. Move on. Keep doing great things._

_I just hope you never step foot in this town again. And if you do it's not long enough to affect you in any way._

_I'm so sorry, Nova._

_With whatever love I might have left,  
__Damon_

Pain surged in Nova's chest causing her to drop the letter and let out a small cry. There was a rush of blood to her skull suddenly which made the room start to spin. Her body ached to feel the emotional pain she knew was there after reading each word, she could feel it. She pictured Damon in that tomb hopelessly searching until he realized that Katherine had never been there at all. She pictured his heart breaking again as he then realized what he had thrown away for it. Her breathing became fast but shallow, vision darkening and head throbbing. A tear actually slipped from her eye before she passed out when she swore she heard Damon's broken voice from that day.

"_She's not here… she's not here!"_

* * *

Zina stood in the dead and rotted old garden of Vasile manor aimlessly. The whispers had returned but not as loudly or violently. All of the flowers had long since died and never regrown. Even the grass had decayed. Moss and vines grew all over the stone walls. The whole site was pitiful. Trees held no leaves, there wasn't even a breeze. It seemed as if the sunlight shied away from the land. She looked around, picturing her sister walking by and touching the plants as they held life. Why had she really ended up in Romania, and Vasile castle of all places?

"You seek solace, my sweet daughter."

She jumped at the voice and spun around. Her ruby bracelet shimmered even without light. Alina Vasile stood a few feet from her with a delicate smile on her face. "Mama…?" Her voice broke a little.

"Hello, Zina." She spoke warmly to her daughter. "I trust we can hold a civilized conversation now, compared to being on the Other Side?"

"What are you doing here?" Zina asked in a small voice.

"I could ask the same of you but as I already said - you seek solace. I hope I might be able to give you even the smallest portion. Whether you see me as it or not, I am your mother. And I have always loved you."

Her bottom lip trembled a little. "I know that now," her voice was barely a whisper. "I know what _tată_ did to you. I…" She looked away with shame. "I'm so sorry for the way I was on the Other Side…"

Alina approached her daughter and took her hands. The actual feeling of the touch surprised Zina. "You grow stronger in your connection to the dead. You have nothing to apologize for as you were manipulated your entire life as well. We have all been nothing but pawns in a disgusting game. The important thing, _fluturele meu roșu _**(my red butterfly)**, is that you seek to redeem yourself in your new gift of life."

"We're still being manipulated, mama. All of us. It's just one horrendous game between Remiel and Lucifer for control. They've forced us all to desperacy if we want to continue to live."

The elder Romanian smiled softly, then touched her daughter's cheek gently. "It took me some years to find the truth, but I know, darling. That is why you and Nova were always forced apart even when you never knew one another. I also know who and what brought you back under what circumstances." Zina looked away with guilt but Alina lightly pushed her face back to look at her again. "It is okay, child. If we must pick the lesser of the two evils, I choose Lucifer as well. What I know and what I have seen of Remiel… she is untamed maleficence."

"It's called Oblivion," Zina blurted out suddenly. She felt a chill creep up her spine but ignored it. "And it's… it's actually a celestial being too with her own astral plane. When God created Remiel, He dipped into that plane and ripped a chunk away. It's literally unstable energy. Runa's body has lasted the longest because she was the first. When Remiel first took her as a vessel that raw energy latched onto every cell of Runa's dying, human body."

"Then any vessel she would attempt to take would not sustain her." Alina deduced. "What of young Zarya then? Was she not destined to be Remiel's other true vessel?"

"That's what they say but I've been thinking about it - she was trying too hard to force Zarya to turn into a dhampir. I think she needs something weak to latch onto, but strong enough not to explode. What better thing than only being half human? It would cling to that one half while the vampire half continues to regenerate. That's why she held the dhampirs captive for so long - to see if they could sustain her. But none of them would give her permission and she had been too weak for too long to force it upon them. The closest she started to get was Nova."

"What happened between Nova and Remiel? I actually have not been able to find your sister in some time…"

Zina's brows furrowed. "Nova, Damon, and I went up to Kansas to save Zarya from Remiel. If Lucifer hadn't…" She made a face and gave a small sigh at the thought. "If he hadn't carved his sigil into her skin then I fear it would have been much worse. But our only way in was a psychic link which gave Remiel access to us as well. She went straight for Nova. Nova fought back and with Zarya's help we kept Remiel from breeching her mind, but the power Remiel used trying to do so… I'm pretty sure she fried something in Nova's brain. She hasn't quite been the same since."

Alina nodded slowly with understanding. "It was her humanity."

"What?"

"Nova's humanity had already been 'off' for some time, yes?" Zina nodded. "That was the vulnerable part of her mind. She had pushed it down for so long that the shock of Remiel's power had too easy of access."

"S-so what does that mean…? She'll never be able to turn her humanity back on? She can't feel anything ever again?"

"She will certainly have to work much harder if she actually desires it back. Perhaps only a true emotional trauma could be stronger than the damage done by Remiel."

* * *

There was a vast nothingness around Nova. Nothing to define outside or inside somewhere, no walls, no ground, just nothing. She stared down at an unfamiliar child who mimicked her expression up at her. The child barely reached Nova's hips, her blonde curls cascading down her back. Her face was sweet, round, and soft. But it was her eyes that really made Nova focus; they were almost amber like Lethia's, but more hazel meaning they had been mixed with some kind of blue or green. As much as she saw Lethia, she kept flashing right to-

_Klaus._

"You're right," the little girl finally spoke. "Lethia and Klaus are my mom and dad."

"Then this isn't possible," Nova retorted. "You don't fully exist yet. You haven't been born."

"No, but I'm a tribrid - wolf, vampire, _and_ witch. I'm a siphoner."

"And you know what that all means. Lovely."

"I know everything, aunt Nova." A small, childish smirk tugged at the left corner of her pale lips. "I hear all in the womb and I siphon off of my mom. Everything she knows and sees, I know and see. When she put your hand on her belly earlier I was able to make a connection to you too. So now I know what you know too."

"You're this smart and powerful already without even being born or full term yet?"

She nodded. "And because of Remiel did to your head it was really easy for me to reach you. Your humanity is still in there, auntie. I can feel it. Remiel just hurt it really, really bad. Even though you feel like it's pointless and you want to give up, I also know that you're not gonna."

Nova scoffed a little. "Don't tell me you're psychic too."

She giggled. "No, that's just aunt Zina and Katia. But when I felt you I knew then that you were gonna be a big influence on my life to come. There's also something about Zarya I keep feeling but it's not strong enough for me. You're gonna be okay, auntie. If you want," she held her tiny hand out to Nova, "I can try to siphon some of Remiel's power that latched onto you away. It could help."

"You mean when she fried my brain some chunks of her grace or power or whatever got left behind?"

Another nod. "Yeah, I can feel it latched onto the weakest part of your mind like a parasite. It just keeps feeding. That's why you can't feel your humanity - because it's being choked down. I can siphon at least some of it off, but not all of it. I'm sorry."

"Would it… would it harm you though? To siphon it into yourself?"

She shook her head. "No, when I siphon it's just like putting gas in a car. Except it doesn't matter what kind of gas. As long as it's some kind of supernatural energy I can take it and make my magic stronger. While I'm still in my mom's belly I'm siphoning to grow and whatever doesn't get used stores for use after I'm born."

Nova hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking the child's hand. She felt the jolt of the connection, then something powerful being sucked out through her arm. It almost felt like blood being sucked out through the vein, only on a much stronger scale. As it passed through to the child her hazel eyes glowed a magnificent emerald. Nova honestly thought it was a hue brighter than even her own. Her knees gave the slightest buckle, but she child didn't budge at all. Once her eyes returned to hazel, she smiled.

"I took what I could, auntie, but there's still a lot left. You've got to fight it if you really do want your humanity back."

"And if I can't?" She asked softly.

The child frowned sadly. "Then only something that would really, truly break your heart could be stronger. And it could hurt you worse than living without humanity."

* * *

Alina could see something in her daughter's eyes that was more than just concern for her twin. She thought of that hunter boy - Jeremy Gilbert. They had seemed to be rivals of sorts on the Other Side, but Jeremy always had a smile on his face when they fought. "There is more," Alina began. "I may not have been able to raise you myself, but I can feel when something is wrong with my children."

Zina looked to the grey sky with what seemed to be guilt or shame in her dark eyes. She could feel the cool chill of Oblivion rolling in behind her back. Was the celestial already there watching? She didn't dare turn around to find out. But if she did want to be someone new, maybe - just maybe - acknowledging her feelings to someone, especially the woman who did give birth to her, could be a start. "I've done some pretty stupid things, mama. I thought…" Tears started to sting at her eyes. "I thought I could get Katia back. So Nova and I tried this spell, and it backfired…"

"What did it take from you, child? Magic always come with a price, especially when it fails."

She looked back to her mother as a tear slipped from her eye. "Me. I'm basically Oblivion's bitch now. Just like the anchor to the Other Side - which is Amara by the way, I'm the anchor to Oblivion. Still some celestial's pawn in a lifelong game."

Alina nodded slowly. "Then make the best of it." Zina's eyes widened. "If you are tied to Oblivion now, then use it as a strength rather than allowing it to hinder you in weakness. Discover new truths and grow."

"What do you know," came the cool tone of the celestial in question behind Zina, "Alina actually is mildly wise. I am not out to destroy you, Zina. As I already told you I am bored. My siblings bother me. You think I am thrilled to be any part of their game? To be used by them as I have been? It's not my fault you allowed yourself to become overwhelmed."

"I am proud of you, Zina Arete," Alina smiled at her daughter as she took Zina's face in both of her hands. "I am _so_proud of you. And your sister. You both have endured great trauma thanks to your father and I, but in your own ways you have survived through it. You stood up to Klaus Mikaelson to protect your best friend and your own virtues. You were given a second chance at life and you seek to better yourself. You have - more or less - made amends with your sister whom you were each destined to hate and try to murder. You found your daughter and you fight to have her back again. You fight for Zarya and what feels right. You just need to find your heart again, _fluturele meu roșu._We are all here behind you, _fluturele meu de smarald _**(my emerald butterfly)**, and the rest of this clan as one. Our blood cannot be broken. Neither can any of us."


	17. This is Our Sweet Blasphemy

17: This is Our Sweet Blasphemy.

Lethia had found Nova unconscious and immediately called out to her. When she wouldn't stir, the blonde read the letter from Damon that had fallen to Nova's side. Her heart ached for the couple. It took a couple of minutes but Nova did finally awake with vast confusion. At first she didn't remember anything of the blonde child, until she met her best friend's eyes. Lethia asked what the hell happened and Nova hesitated at first before telling her what she remembered. When she heard about the child siphoning what she could from Nova, Lethia admitted she already knew about her daughter being a siphoner. She explained with sorrow how the child was siphoning off of her, sucking away the Moore spell that linked her and Nova and whatever else she could feed on.

"So she can essentially siphon your life out of you if she stays in too long," Nova deduced.

Lethia nodded solemnly. "And there is no guarantee to how long. When she has enough life of her own is when she will make her appearance."

Nova assured her she would figure _something_ out because she would be damned - with or without humanity - if her best friend was going to die. She wouldn't let it happen if she had the power to. However, she couldn't stay in NOLA. She loved Lethia and understood it had become her home, but the Mikaelsons were not Nova's friends or family. She knew Lethia would be cared for until she found a solution to protect her. Lethia pleaded that she stay at least a few days, especially after reading the letter. Nova thought about it for a moment, but she had too much to figure out. She gave her best friend a long hug, promising that when Lethia saw her again things would be different.

The ravenette got in her Firebird and just sat there without even turning the key for a few minutes. Where would she go? What would she do? She longed for Mystic Falls strangely enough, but she couldn't go back just yet. Not in the state she was in. Maybe she would just aimlessly drive. That was when her spare phone in the glove box rang suddenly. Who would have figured the thing was still charged _and_ active.

"Let's go to Maine," came Zina's voice on the other line.

"How the hell did you get this number?"

"Psychic abilities, remember? Don't worry about it. I'm actually just getting back into the states now. I want you to meet me in Maine."

"Uh, there's definitely a lot of questions piling up pretty quickly. Such as: where the hell have you been and why Maine?"

"I took an impromptu trip home to Romania. Had my own little epiphany I guess. And Maine because it's not insanely hot, no one we know should be anywhere in the vicinity or guess that we're there, and there is _so_ much open land."

"For what?"

"Practice. We activated our own magic touch into Oblivion and we haven't done jack with it since we failed at bringing back Katia. I know you used to do things with ice. We might as well hone whatever we've got."

She hesitated for a moment before deciding it might as well have been a sign if they existed. Turning her key the Firebird roared to life and sped off for Maine. Meanwhile, in Mystic Falls, Damon got a call from Lethia who let him know Nova had stopped by. She had no way of knowing where Nova was headed when she left but at least he got some kind of peace of mind that she wasn't manic and out to murder humanity. All he could do is focus on the problems at home and hope Nova would make it back to him once again.

* * *

While Qetsiyah channeled the three Petrova doppelgangers to bring Bonnie back from the Other Side, the Romanian twins dove head-first into Oblivion who surprisingly welcomed them both eagerly. The celestial was fairly impressed with the twins since they had been originally cursed to loathe each other and go through life with the desire to kill one another. The two young women were valiant warriors in their own ways. She knew she could use them wisely; that they would be greatly beneficial. Through her link to Zina she finally showed herself to Nova.

"Oh," the emerald eyed Romanian's brows raised when she saw Oblivion in her bodily form. "You're… you're not just another realm of power."

"No," Oblivion responded with some amusement to her tone. "I have an actual form. Where you draw your power is from my astral plane."

"Alright, listen, I know I've been around for a century and a half but this shit is getting out of control. I'm gonna need a lesson in this 'astral plane' stuff."

Oblivion actually snickered a little. She sat, which consisted of her floating on nothing with her legs crossed and feet off of the ground. With a wave of her hand she created a little map for the twins to visualize. "Up above you have Heaven, and down below Hell with Earth in the middle. That is the basis that everyone seems to acknowledge. However, Earth is merely one realm of many." It showed up as a tiny blip of blue and green in the middle. "Down in Hell you've got Lucifer's Cage _way_ off over in the dark, and on the complete other end the only thing I can describe as a pitiful jail for the worst of the worst supernatural creatures, usually vampires."

"But I thought the supernatural went to the Other Side in death," Zina commented.

"Generally, yes, but you also have Purgatory somewhere over here," a chunk of black and grey appeared to the right. "That would be where God shoved the Leviathan - don't bother asking about those, you don't want to know. Zarya and the Winchesters have already had a run-in with them. Amongst the Leviathan, most supernatural creatures also wind up there in death as well. I suppose the only way I could explain it to you is that when a human soul dies, it goes through judgement of going to Heaven or Hell. If you make it to Heaven you get to live in eternal peace, but if you wind up in Hell your punishment is based on how dreadful you were in life."

"So the worst of the worst - which usually ends up being us with fangs because we can shut off our humanity and do the utmost worst - get to go to 'vampire hell', but your average monster will probably go to Purgatory?"

Oblivion shrugged. "Sounds close enough. Over yonder is your darling Other Side which was only ripped to be thanks to Silas, Amara, and Qetsiyah. As you've both noticed it's also a supernatural purgatory. However, it is particular to the balance of nature. So that's for the witches, hunters, your breed of vampire that emerged by magic, and the Vasiles. It is not a permanent plane. It can be wiped from existence which makes it different than the rest.  
"Lurking between and spanning infinitely is my Oblivion." Purple smoke appeared swirling between Purgatory and the Other Side but beneath Earth. "On the mirrored side of my plane is one where angels and demons go - the Empty." Black slime appeared alongside the purple smoke almost like two halves of a coin. "With all of that being said," various colored blips appeared in all of the dead space between each realm, "Earth is not the only human plane to exist. There are other realities, and other realms. There is a way in and out of each, but it requires special keys to cross through."

Zina's jaw had partially dropped. Nova's eye visibly twitched before she actually let out an audible, "Oh fuck me."

* * *

With Bonnie back from the Other Side, and Silas, Amara, _and_ Qetsiyah all dead, Elena and the Salvatores counted it as a win. Damon wasn't certain if he could reach Nova at all, but he figured he would at least try calling the spare he knew she generally kept in her car. It did ring, but she never answered so he left her a voicemail.

"Thea told me what's going on," he spoke as he sipped a glass of bourbon on the front steps of the boarding house. "It's alright, _dolcezza_. I'll be here for when you return. I just wanted to at least keep you updated. Silas, Amara, _and_ Qetsiyah are all out of the equation once and for all. Can you believe it? If only you had been here to see that shit show." He chuckled a little. "The best part is that we got Bonnie back. She already offered to do a locator spell but I told her not to. I know wherever you are you're doing the right thing. I love you, Nova."

Oblivion tested Nova's power first since she had been fried by Remiel. The ravenette admitted that she never really called upon her power much before, let alone recently. Oblivion told her to get over it. It took some focus, but after a couple of minutes the temperature began to drop rapidly and frost formed over the grass. It spread to the trees and thickened until it was all ice. Nova's emerald eyes turned violet which caused Oblivion's snow white brow to arch curiously.

"Your element is ice yet your eyes glow violet." She commented. "No wonder you've always been so trapped in the middle. Tell me, child, in your heart of hearts if you absolutely must choose one of the two damned archangels to be any kind of loyal to, which do you seek?"

Nova scoffed. "Remiel fried my brain and has tried too many times to use us and abuse us." _Especially Zarya._ "I guess you can count me as team Lucifer. He's at least got some kind of backhanded but decent reasons for the stupid shit he's done."

Oblivion nodded slowly and turned to Zina. "And you?"

"Remiel is a lunatic. I will never bow to her."

Another slow nod before her head tilted to the side. "Perhaps then we three could work something out. With Zina being my anchor, after proper training she can have nearly full access to my plane. If you prove yourself worthy, Nova, then you could also be granted great access. Work with me and I could shield you both from the archangels. I have no desire to use either of you for my bidding, but should I deem someone to be an ally or an enemy I expect you to heed my words."

"But you wouldn't be sending us on ridiculous jobs for some endgame we don't know?" Zina questioned.

"That is correct. I will train you to properly use the power of Oblivion so long as my allies and enemies are yours as well. That is all."

The twins exchanged looks. It was in that moment that the two actually felt some kind of 'twin bond' between one another. They turned back to the celestial and both nodded. "Deal."

Oblivion then turned to Zina with her usual blank expression. "Very well. Then show me what your power is."

The younger twin jumped slightly and became flustered. "I-I just have psychic abilities. And not even very good ones, honestly…"

"You have clairvoyance and an ease of access into the mind, yes. But each Vasile is connected to the Earth they were damned to which bestowed an elemental magic upon them should they be strong enough to call upon it. Nova is clearly ice. Daciana and Sofia control air. I want to know which you have; there are six."

"Six?" Questioned Nova. "Last I checked there were only four elements."

"Four basic ones, yes. Alongside those four - earth, air, fire, and water - are ice and lightning. Or electricity. Depends how one uses it I suppose. Then again, it depends how you use any of the six. With earth you could have control over the plants, the ground, or metal. Fire could spawn into sparks or smoke. All that matters is your will and training." She shrugged.

Zina took a breath that puffed out her cheeks before letting it out. Elemental magic? She had never even considered it. She thought that was something only the damn Moroi had. Why would she have bothered after she was burned? She hoped deep down her power wasn't fire. She would never use it if it was. Her eyes closed slowly and she focused. She thought about the trauma she had endured in her first go at life and what it had done to her; how she ended up. She swore she would never be like that again. Not since she was given another chance. She would be better, stronger, and more worthy of her life. That was when something began to crackle like static around her hands at her sides.

Nova took a step away from her twin when she saw the flashes of static light appearing around Zina's fingers. They kept getting stronger with each second, shining a gallant rose red. Zina's fingers curled in as the electricity grew stronger until she opened her eyes and they were glowing their bright hibiscus red. She threw her hands forward suddenly, causing massive bolts of red lightning to whip past each side of Oblivion and set fire to a tree across the way. Strangely enough, the celestial's lips pulled into an amused smirk.

"Mm, this is going to be much more interesting than I thought."

* * *

Back in Mystic Falls, Jesse had been dealing with the effects of the Ripper Virus injected in him by Wes. Caroline worried that she hadn't heard from him in over two weeks, but that was quickly dismissed when Jesse attacked Damon. Elena, who had been nearby, jumped in to stop him. She just wanted to protect her sire's fiance and Stefan's brother. She tried to just keep him at bay, even convince him to go, but something would not let Jesse stop. He tried to attack Elena too so Elena was left with no choice but to kill Jesse in defense. Caroline became furious immediately and turned her back on her best friend.

"I've had enough of this Maxfield guy," Damon left Nova another voicemail as he practically stormed across Whitmore campus. "For what he did to you, and then apparently turned Caroline's boy toy Jesse. He clearly did something else to make him attack Elena and I so Elena had to kill him and now Caroline's all pissy about it. I know I'm supposed to be setting an example for you to behave with your humanity off, but this guy has whatever is coming to him. I'm done. I'm going to get some answers whether he wants to give them to me or not."

And Damon did get Wes. He captured the doctor/professor in his hidden lab and began injecting him with various things around the lab - a flesh-eating bacteria, rabies. Yet Maxfield remained too cool and collected giving vague answers. While Damon was looking at one vial labeled 'Ebola' Wes told him he was trying to change Jesse into a new kind of vampire. Humans were vampires' food sources, so he was looking to change that. Wes wanted to make vampires feed on other vampires until they wiped themselves out. That was when it Damon found a file labeled _21052_. Opening it revealed a photo of Nova.

"What the hell is this?" He demanded of Wes. "Why is your file on Nova - which I assume you acquired when you held her against her will - labeled 21052?"

"What do you care?"

"Because I was 21051."

Wes' eyes widened with curiosity. "21051. Hang on. You were an Augustine vampire?"

Damon's eye twitched slightly as flashbacks tried to haunt him. "Augustine. I haven't heard that name in decades. Vampire lab rats, coded subject names. I thought you guys shut down 60 years ago."

"You thought wrong."

While Nova and Zina were working relentlessly with Oblivion on honing their ice and lightning, Wes broke free and hit Damon with atomized vervain. He grinned down at the vampire who fell to his knees with his vision blurring. "I'm sure Augustine will be _thrilled _to have you back. Don't you worry, Nova will join you soon enough too."

Next thing Damon knew he was back on the floor of a cell barely able to feel his limbs. All he could think of was Nova. He prayed wherever she was she stayed there and off of Augustine's radar. If she got captured again he might never be able to get her humanity back.

Zina and Nova had a cute little cabin near some beautiful Maine mountains. After a long training session with Oblivion they were freed for the night. Nova surprised her sister by cooking them dinner. She told Zina how she learned after living with the Salvatores who were deeply Italian. Even with all of the maids and cooks they had, Damon still taught her to cook. There were even a couple of times that Giuseppe did as well. Then spending the next century and a half with Damon there was plenty of cooking. Zina was actually impressed and shyly stood nearby watching. Sensing her sister's gaze, Nova started telling her what she was actually doing and showed her just as Damon had in the past. While they waited for the food to finish Zina took initiative to make them both some tea which Nova begrudgingly admitted she was no good at. She always left the wait staff to do it whenever she did have tea, which wasn't frequently. Zina smiled softly as she mixed herbs together and poured them cups of tea with dinner. Impressed silently with one another's little talents, the twins ate and sipped their tea in a strangely comfortable silence.

A few days passed of the same routine - training at dawn with Oblivion with a lunch break, then having dinner and tea. It had become a peaceful routine that calmed them both, until one evening as they ate Nova froze solid with her fork having just lifted off of her plate. Before Zina could question what was wrong, her sister's emerald eyes turned such a shade of ice blue she could only equate them to Damon's. Her hand began to quake as she witnessed her fiance being experimented on by Wes just as she had been. When her eyes returned to normal, the fork fell with a clatter onto her plate.

"What was that?" Zina asked quickly.

"I channeled Damon; he's been taken by Wes Maxfield."

The younger twin's dark eyes widened. "So what do we do?"

Nova stood abruptly, nearly knocking over her chair. "_You_ stay here and continue to train. I don't need these Whitmore bastards getting ahold of you too. I'm gonna go bust out my fiance and kick some ass."

"Do you really think that's a good idea, _soră_ **(sister)**?" Zina argued, standing to match her sister's height. "They already had you behind bars once. They even had Zarya."

"Exactly why I'm not letting them get any DNA from you too. You only just learned you have lightning. I've known about my ice for years. At least now I can call upon it as needed. That's good enough for me to get in there, get Damon, and get out."

"You're not a superhero, Nova!" Zina's hands slammed down on the table. "Even without any kind of mastery over my power I can at least zap whatever electrical work they have in the place or something. And it's not like I stopped fighting while I was on the Other Side."

Nova let out a deep sigh before approaching her sister. In an odd gesture that caused Zina to freeze, Nova actually reached around and hugged the slightly younger Romanian. However, before she pulled away, she whispered in the girl's ear, "I'm sorry, _soră mai mică_ **(little sister)**. I have to take care of this." Before Zina could react, Nova's hands were on her face and gave a quick, harsh snap of her neck. She laid her sister on the kitchen floor before taking off for Virginia on her own.

An odd tingle of anxiety seemed to poke around in Nova's chest as she ventured with haste through the states. Humanity or not, traumatizing flashbacks to Whitmore or not, she would not let Damon suffer at the hands of Wes Maxfield as she had. Who knew what the son of a bitch was doing to Damon? He could be experimenting with whatever he had collected of Nova's DNA for all she knew. Clearly he had the funding to keep his creepy lab going time after time. She never did particularly care for doctors, or people who enjoyed scientifically experimenting on others. She had enough of it as child.

When Nova did finally arrive at Whitmore she looked to the building with a hateful twitch in her eye. She stormed the building, going directly to the creepy basement laboratory and to hell with anyone who tried to stop her. She tried to be decent and only knock most of the humans out without killing them, but the closer she got the more control she lost. A couple of guards she meant to only choke out wound up with snapped necks instead. The angrier she got reliving her time in Whitmore the colder the halls became. She knew she was nearing the cells. A guard lunged for her and when she grabbed him by the throat his lips began to turn blue. His flesh paled almost to a snow white. He physically froze from the inside out. She kicked in the door and began storming through checking each cell.

"Nova?" came the weakened cry of Elena.

_Oh you've got to be fucking kidding me,_ she thought spitefully. "Seriously, Elena?" She commented as she stared down at the brunette in her cell. "How do you always end up a damsel in distress?"

The brunette pouted. "Maxfield surprised me with a syringe of vervain while I was talking to Aaron. Why did you come here?"

Damon chuckled dryly (literally and descriptively) from the cell beside hers. "I was afraid you might have accidentally channeled me. You shouldn't have come here, Nova. You put yourself in danger."

"Yeah, the longer I stand around talking to you two _tâmpiți_ **(morons)**." She placed her hand over the locking mechanism of Damon's cell, eyes turning a bright violet, and watched as it froze over. Once it was solid she gave a hard pull and ripped the door open. Damon stared up with surprise but she paid no mind and quickly did the same to Elena's cell door. "Let's go before this was all a waste of my time. Can you two at least walk?"

It took Damon a little extra effort, but he forced himself to his feet and out of the cell that haunted him. The ravenette pushed the two onward, using her ice to keep the few guards left and coming for them at bay. Elena tried to ask about what she was doing but Nova told her to shut up and worry about it when they were 'the fuck away from Whitmore'. She shoved them on through a guard-less path to the exit while she turned around to take out a couple more. However, when she spun around, she was face to face with Wes Maxfield yet again.

"We meet again, Miss Vasile," he smirked at her with some sort of button trigger in his hand. "This time, though, I'm a little more prepared for you."

"I doubt that you-" Before she could finish speaking he pressed the button and purple smoke came barrelling down upon her from both sides and above. She started to choke and cough, her skin burning. She fell to her knees.

"Much like my atomized vervain, I atomized the qualities in Deadly Nightshade that physically affected you." Wes told her with overconfidence in his tone. He knelt down to her level mockingly while her vision blurred and she gasped for air. "_You're_ going to be my best experiment yet, Miss Vasile."


	18. Every Injustice and Deadly Fate

18: Every Injustice and Deadly Fate.

When Nova opened her eyes at last she was not in the creepy basement lab at Whitmore. She actually had no idea where she was. It looked as if it were in the works of being set up with tarps and plastic still hung up. She let out a soft groan, her throat drier than a desert. Thick, leather straps _and_ chains held her firmly to a metal table. The bright lights hurt her weak and still blurry eyes.

"Subject 21052 appears conscious," she heard Maxfield before he appeared beside her with his tape recorder in hand.

"What the fuck is this?"

Maxfield just smirked down at her. "21052 resume prep for blood dialysis."

* * *

Damon and Elena stormed into the boarding house which took Stefan by surprise. "All hands on deck," Damon told his brother hastily. "Maxfield has Nova. Again."

"_What?_" Stefan jumped to his feet. "What the hell happened?"

"He had kidnapped Damon and I," Elena explained. "Nova partially channeled Damon and came to the rescue but as we escaped he got her. She's not at Whitmore either."

"Yeah, so we need to find Zina, get Bonnie and Jeremy, you need to get your ass in gear, and whatever other Vasiles would care to help would be lovely. He's trying to turn vampires on one another for food sources instead of humans to wipe out our whole race."

Stefan's eyes widened as far as they could go. "If that's his goal, who the hell knows what he can accomplish with Nova's blood and genes!"

"No shit. Start rounding up the team. I'll find Zina."

* * *

Back in Maine, Zina could feel deep in her gut that something had gone horribly wrong with her twin. She had been mad when she first woke up, but then the feeling of dread set in quickly. She tried to use her emotions to channel into her magic, but Oblivion could see she was off her game. Even the celestial vanished for about a half hour which further concerned the ravenette.

"You need to return to Virginia."

Zina looked up to the white haired woman with a hint of fear in her dark eyes. "Augustine took Nova again, didn't they?"

Oblivion nodded solemnly. "I can and will send you there. This is a matter of urgency."

When Zina appeared in a cloud of purple smoke in the boarding house with everyone else, most took a collective step away from the ravenette. Except Damon. As soon as he laid eyes on the younger twin he knew she was there because she found out about her sister. He didn't give a damn where the smoke and magic came from so long as it was useful. "There is one person who could possibly lead us to my sister," she announced with a solemn look over to Elena. "And it's Aaron."

Ignoring the doe-eyed brunette's dismay, Zina, Stefan, and Damon went straight to Whitmore to grill Aaron Whitmore. "I have no idea where Wes took her," he tried to assure them.

"Well, they're not at his lab, so where else could he hide a vampire?" Stefan snapped back at him.

Aaron blinked a few times. "I'm sorry. Am I supposed to know who you are?"

Damon sat on a desk next to Aaron much too close for his liking. "That's my brother Stefan, but I'd watch your tone with him because he's kind of in the midst of a psychotic break. We've been dealing with some bullshit and he and Nova have always had a bit of a complicated relationship. That one there with the icy stare in her black - and yes I do mean black - eyes would be Nova's twin sister having returned from the dead. She got her heart ripped out like a century ago, you see."

"Whatever your guardian is doing to my sister," Zina spoke coldly as she stared him in the eye without so much as blinking for added effect, "it's going to turn her into a monster worse than he's expecting."

"I don't know anything," Aaron stressed. "All that Wes told me was to go about my life as usual."

"Oh, there is no 'usual' anymore, Aaron." Stefan commented. "Not once you know about this stuff."

"And it gets even worse, kid." Damon added as he patted Aaron's back mockingly. "Wes Maxfield and Augustine are nothing compared to two psychotic archangels."

Aaron's eyes widened with shock and fear. "A-archangels?"

"We're gonna call Wes, and you're gonna tell him that if he doesn't give us Nova the next experiment that he conducts it's gonna be sewing your arms back on."

* * *

"So you're the infamous Nova," an unfamiliar accented voice spoke beside the ravenette.

Her head lolled to the side, the weight helping it move from how weak she had become. Another vampire lay strapped to a table beside her, but with many fewer restraints than she had. "Oh great," her hoarse voice remained sarcastic. "A fanboy."

He chuckled. "Actually, my name is Enzo. I was a friend of Damon's at one point."

"Damon and I don't have a lot of friends. I would know you."

"Ah, but you wouldn't, sweetheart. Damon and I were in Augustine together in 1953. His friendship over the next five years made it remotely bearable. We had a plan to escape, but then he left me to die in a fire and shut off his humanity. All he did when we weren't being poked and prodded was tell me about you."

Something stirred deep in Nova's chest. _Damon… was captured by Augustine those five years…?_ She thought. _That's why he had shut off his humanity before he returned to me… that was why I was so broken that I did the same… and he never spoke of it…_

"Everyday was a new story about his beautiful Nova," Enzo continued on. "All of the adventures you two had been on. I made the mistake of calling you his girlfriend once. He laughed, but I could hear how sad it sounded, and said you were his best friend. When I asked why all he could say was that it was 'complicated'. I told him if he ever got out of that bloody cell that he best make it not complicated anymore. Leave it to him to complicate things worse."

While Nova laid there in her thoughts of Damon trapped for five years, Wes released Enzo with a mission. She could barely hear them as her body grew weaker and mind surrounded by thoughts. Part of her could almost reach out and touch the smallest shred of humanity, yet it was still just out of her grasp. For a while Enzo kept Stefan and Damon under wraps by discussing what happened in the 1950s until Stefan went to bring Aaron to his dorm to retrieve information on Augustine. Enzo kept Damon in the classroom for collateral out of bitter spite. They had been thankful that Zina slipped out before Enzo arrived to acknowledge her presence.

Zina hastily wandered about downtown Mystic Falls searching for _something_. With her psychic abilities she could feel a significance somewhere nearby. Training with Oblivion had helped her control the voices from the astral plane, but they had slowly began to grow louder again as she wandered. In some places they were quieter than others so she backtracked curiously to where they were louder. It was the old office of one Grayson Gilbert.

Oblivion appeared beside her. "You are learning to merge your psychic abilities with the feed from astral plane. Good work."

"So Nova _is_ in there, then." She muttered before taking out her phone to send a text to Damon. "That Maxfield prick… he's working on some virus to turn vampires on one another; to make us our own sustenance until we wipe ourselves out."

"Your sister is not a good candidate for that. You've bore witness to what she has done to humanity, even angels."

Zina knew the cosmic entity was correct. If Maxfield's Ripper Virus worked on Nova… it could be the end of them. She couldn't wait for Damon to escape Enzo or magically change his mind. Her boot collided with the door, nearly kicking it off its hinges. The first sign of electrical work she laid eyes on she put her hand on and fried it with her newfound power. Down in the basement Wes had the syringe of his supposedly perfectly Ripper Virus poised to stick into Nova when the power surged until it blew.

Nova, even in her weak state, managed a smirk. "Hope you're not afraid of the electric chair, doc."

The needle pierced her skin. Zina kicked open the basement door. Most of the virus was pushed through into Nova's bloodstream when a bolt of bright red lightning launched straight at Maxfield's chest. He may as well have been unnecessarily hit with AED paddles at full strength. While he twitched and fought for consciousness on the floor, Zina sped over and ripped the restraints from her sister. She found the needle still in Nova's neck but had at least a shred of hope because the entire syringe had not yet been emptied.

"Come on," she spoke quickly as she helped her sister up. "Before Doctor Douche gets up and tries for a pair."

Nova's arm was thrown and held around Zina's shoulders as she carried the tortured ravenette upstairs. Nova could barely keep her eyes open. "I'm not worth saving anymore, _soră_. I'll always be a monster."

"Why? Because Remiel fried whatever she could of your humanity? Because of this supposed Ripper Virus nonsense? We'll figure it out, _smarald fluture_ **(emerald butterfly)**." She offered her sister a gentle smile and noticed the bit of surprise Nova could muster on her face.

* * *

"You think she'll be okay?" Damon asked softly. He and Zina stood at the foot of Nova's bed in her home in the woods as she slept off what Maxfield did to her.

Zina let out a soft sigh. "Honestly? I have no clue. Doctor Douche did get some of that virus in her and who knows what her body will do with it. Especially with her humanity fried thanks to Remiel. She's pretty fucked up right now. What about Enzo?"

He scoffed. "I found the antidote for him, but he didn't give a damn. He's still pissed at me. You wanna know the last thing he said to me?"

"Hm?"

"'_You were the most important person in my life, and you ruined me, but that's just who you are, that's who you'll always be… A monster._'"

Zina's face was solemn as the last two words really sank into her. "Funny," her tone dropped low; almost broken, "that's all Nova sees herself as - a monster. She told me she wasn't worth saving anymore because that's all she is."

"Maybe that's all we really are." Damon's voice was dark and grim. His eyes never moved from his fiancee's sleeping form. "Humanity or not, backhanded reasoning for what we do or not… we're just monsters."

"Don't you think we could do better?"

"Don't you think we've tried?"

* * *

Back at the boarding house, a decaying Katherine was walking downstairs on the phone with Nadia. The two had been bonding over the loss of Katia which Nadia had to find out the hard way, and Zina's 'abandonment' as Katherine called it. She had tried to find her adoptive and resurrected vampire, but Zina was always off doing something else. When she caught wind of Zina actually working with Nova… she couldn't believe it. After all she had done for Zina and all Zina gave for her. She had been ready to just give in and die at last when the anger finally set in. If Zina Vasile could be resurrected then Katherine Pierce wasn't going to die.

She was discussing the details with Nadia when suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Her brown eyes widened with horror. Suddenly she couldn't breathe. Next thing she knew she was tumbling down the stairs. Nadia called for her through the phone but she couldn't hear. With one final whack on the landing, Katherine Pierce was unconscious.

Stefan and Elena, who had been in the process of discussing rekindling their relationship, rushed to her aid when they heard the thud echo. They rushed her to the hospital where she was given CPR and tried to defibrillate her heart from the heart attack she suffered. As Katherine laid in the hospital bed reliving her years in Bulgaria, her daughter being ripped from her, Nova still remained out cold in her own bed reliving flashes of her childhood and Remiel's vicious attack on her mind. Zina returned to Maine to train with Oblivion while Damon sought liquor at the boarding house so Nova could rest with the 'monster' comments in the back of his mind. After hearing of Katherine's fall, he sat with Matt and Jeremy and a couple of bottles of bourbon.

"Rule number one: Name the worst thing Katherine Pierce has ever done." He announced. "Rule number two: Toast to the glory of her impending death. Rule number three: If you come across something that's worse, which you will, repeat rules one and two. She pretended to be buried in a tomb for 145 years, while I waited for her lying ass which caused me to lose Nova for over a decade." He swigged from the bottle before passing it to Matt.

Matt didn't even reach with for the bottle with slight panic in his eyes from being unable to think on his feet. Damon rolled his eyes and handed it to Jeremy instead who took it gladly. "She fed me to Silas and I died which caused my sister and Nova to shut off their humanity." He took a shot. "Then, she made me crash my car into a pole and left me for dead… again."

Damon snickered. "Double doozy. Drink."

"My sister is dead because of her." Matt finally spoke with a small shrug.

"Yes she is," Damon confirmed as he grabbed three shot glasses. "Because I wouldn't have even been in town to turn Vicki into a murderous vampire if I wasn't trying to get Katherine out of a tomb she wasn't in. Group shot!"

Bonnie, Caroline, and Elena entered just then ready to chastise the three males. Elena, however, surprised them and changed the mood of the girls. "If anyone is drinking to Katherine's last days, it's going to be me. She impersonated me… repeatedly." She took a shot from the bottle. "Made Aunt Jenna stab herself in the stomach and she cut off Uncle John's fingers."

Jeremy shrugged. "He might have deserved that."

Bonnie took the bottle from Elena and took a shot. "My Grams died trying to close a tomb she wasn't in."

Caroline did the same. "Tyler's werewolf curse got triggered because of her."

Before they could continue, the familiar sound of thick, boot-like heels clicked across the floor earning everyone's attention. Above them all stood Nova Vasile fully dressed with her makeup done. She snatched the bottle from Caroline's hand as everyone stood or sat frozen awaiting what was to happen next. Her emerald eyes looked at the bottle that was ¾ of the way gone before she finally spoke. "Terribly sorry, Elena, but if anyone deserves most to drink that _pizdă's_ last moments on Earth, it would be _me._ She terrorized me in 1864 from the moment she stepped into Mystic Falls. She continued to pit Stefan against me even more than he already was on his own. She's the reason the boys got turned. She got Damon to bend over backwards for her so much that even after we were led to believe she was locked in a tomb, he still searched for a way to free her. And that was for over a century while we traveled together without saying a damn word to me. When I finally found out, I turned my back on my best friend and ran like a hurt child. Come to find out she wasn't even in the fucking tomb! Instead, she manages to lead Klaus Mikaelson around who fought so hard to force me to marry him just for the power of the Vasile that I shut off my humanity. We go looking for Silas and the cure and this bitch follows us. She kills one of the only human friends I had, and all the while my wolf best friend is here at home getting murdered and turned into a hybrid. Come to find out she also raised the twin sister I never knew I had and fueled her hatred against me. I think that covers the basis of my personal loathing of Katerina Petrova." She raised the bottle in cheers before tipping it back and chugging what was left.

Jeremy started a slow clap which Damon joined first and soon all of them were clapping for her. When the bottle was empty she slammed it on the table. Matt snickered. "We're going to need more booze."

Damon smiled at her as he stood. "Are you sure you should be drinking so quickly, _dolcezza_?"

"What, because I've been viciously tortured over and over again by some dickhead doctor and a psychotic archangel? Well, I haven't yet tried to tear into any one of you, have I? I guess - what did my sister call him? - Doctor Douche didn't calculate Vasile genetics very well into his stupid virus. Aside from being fucked in the head, I'm peachy. And I even get a reward for all of my suffering: Katherine Pierce is _finally_ fucking dying. Where is the old hag anyways? I want to rub it in her stupid face that I can get tortured over and over but she's getting old and got a fucking _heart attack_." She grinned toothily.

"Absolutely not," came Stefan's voice as he descended the stairs. "Just leave her to die in peace and go throw a party at your house."

She rolled her eyes and groaned loudly. "Oh _gods_ what the fuck is Saint Stefan doing defending that wretch?" She turned to Elena questioningly. "You're just letting him? Are you two back together or what? Like, what the hell have I missed recently?"

"Elena and I are working on things, not that it's any of your concern. Everyone deserves to die in peace. Even you would, Nova."

She scoffed and boldly approached the younger Salvatore. Everyone stood on their feet behind her waiting for something bad to happen. "Says the guy who caused my first death by drowning in a river. Yeah, that was super peaceful. Don't worry, Steffie, I plan to outlive you. You don't have to try and bullshit some peaceful deathbed for me. Nor does Katherine deserve one."

Stefan tried so hard to bite his tongue, especially with his memory of June 18, 1860. For a quick second he saw the innocent human Nova tumbling down the stairs because of him all over again. "She's dying slowly of old age, Nova. She's suffering enough."

"No, not by any means. Not after what she put _any_ of us through. She deserves the worst possible Hell there is out there for her and even that would be too generous. Now, I know she doesn't have the ability to compel you _again_, so why are you bothering to defend her?" She quirked a brow and stared him coldly in the eye when she finally thought of an answer. Her brows raised curiously. "Oh, my, fucking gods. You totally slept with the dumb bitch while you were on your little hiatus with Elena, didn't you?!" She started to laugh while others gasped and stared wide eyed. "Wow, really Steffie? I show your girl a good time once and months down the road you sleep with _Katherine Pierce?_ Was it pity cause she's old and decrepit now? Oh gods, you technically slept with an old hag. That's fucking hysterical. You're a real piece of work, Stefan." She mockingly pat his upper arm before flipping him her middle finger and sauntering off to the back of the boarding house.

* * *

Nadia had taken Matt when he went to get more liquor. In exchange for his return, Elena and Stefan had to meet with Travelers. Nadia wanted to do the spell to make Katherine a passenger in her body. With everyone else gone looking for Matt, Damon found Nova out back enjoying a cigarette. "Wanna have a little fun since the warden is gone?"

She immediately grinned and put out the cigarette. "Lead the way."

The two went upstairs and used the morphine given with Katherine's return to keep her "comfortable" in death. They gave her a little extra to keep her asleep and extra weak while they invaded the confines of her mind. They taunted her with Jenna, which Nova had never known about and found positively messed up. Knowing she had a thing for Elijah for some time, Nova pulled that card. It had been _priceless_ to watch Katherine's face turn to horror as Elijah morphed into Nova before her eyes.

"Figured I'd stop you before you tried to kiss me," she smirked. "I may swing both ways, but certainly not for you."

"What the hell is this?" Her voice shook as she took a step back. "First Damon, now you?"

"I'm sorry, did you actually think that that was real? Nope. No one's coming to say goodbye, Katherine. Because no one cares. You fucked over too many people for too fucking long."

The two were thrust from Katherine's mind suddenly. Damon's neck had been snapped which strangely alerted Nova before it happened to her too. She whirled around to Nadia's hands on her head and immediately started throwing punches. She held the young Petrova off her feet by her throat against a wall. Her fangs had extended, and eyes darkened with the veins beneath. "You are no better than your filthy excuse of a mother," she hissed venomously.

"If it were not for me then your darling niece never would have survived the world," Nadia bit back boldly.

"From what I understand you kept Katia sheltered from her lineage. You loathe the Vasiles. And now you're trying to keep a pathetic excuse of a life continuing when she's already lived over 500 years and tormented everyone she has come in contact with. With Katia dead you have no leverage as to why I shouldn't kill you right here. It would stop Katherine from having another body to hop into."

The Traveler Mia entered then, chanting a spell that started to hurt Nova's head. It wasn't enough to force her to release Nadia, however. With her free hand she swiped it up, causing a large shard of solid ice to pierce the Traveler's throat. She choked on her own blood until she fell to the floor dead. Panic flooded Nadia's face but it was too late. Nova rammed her hand into the Bulgarian vampire's chest, gripping her beating heart with her nails digging in and a fierce sneer on her face. "May all of you fucking Petrovas _rot._" She then yanked Nadia's heart from her chest, allowing the body and the organ to drop to the floor.

With blood dripping from her hand and her maroon lips downturned in the most vile look she could muster, she leaned over a still unconscious Katherine and whispered in her ear, "Die nice and slowly, Bulgarian _curva._ I'll see you in Hell one day."


	19. Take Away What's Left of Me

19: Take Away What's Left of Me.

As Nova made her way through the woods back to her house, Damon came to and found the two bodies. He immediately recognized his love's handiwork and rage. Before anyone could notice he slipped the corpses away and off the radar. While he was occupied with that, Elena made the mistake of visiting Katherine to pitifully give her forgiveness on her deathbed. It was instant regret when Katherine flipped the script and turned Elena into her host with the Traveler spell. She tried to call her daughter, curious as to why she suddenly wasn't answering. Instead of focusing on that, she focused on becoming Elena Gilbert for show.

Up in northern Maine, Zina was slowly mastering her lightning and control over the Oblivion plane she was connected to. The cosmic entity was actually impressed. She stayed away, unseen, but Katia watched her mother get stronger everyday. She watched as Zina became someone entirely different than what she was before. Katia started to feel pride for her mother. After ditching Katherine's body, Damon returned to the boarding house where Enzo was waiting for him. He had something rather large in a sack near the fireplace.

"Since you and I last spoke," Enzo began, "I've done a bit of soul searching… had a trip to the barber… did a little research, which revealed to me that you killed almost every member of the Whitmore family in the years since you escaped, leaving just one alive each time to carry on the family name - producing a whole new generation of victims for you to slaughter… exactly as you said you'd do back when you and I were cellmates."

That was when Nova walked in. "Well, he does try to keep his promises." Damon jumped slightly when he heard her voice behind him. How hadn't he heard her come in? "What's in the bag?"

"More like 'who'," Enzo grinned. "It occurred to me that perhaps I wrote you off too quickly." He told Damon. "That, in fact, the Damon Salvatore I remember is alive and well. I have a present for him." He pulled back the sheet to reveal an unconscious Aaron Whitmore.

"Maybe you don't want to be here right now, Nova," Damon muttered as she joined his side.

"Why?" She looked up at him. "Because you never told me that for the five years I lost you in the 50's you had been kidnapped by Augustine? Or because a good chunk of the people we massacred for years were Whitmores as part of your revenge agenda and you never told me?" Seeing her fiance's concerned expression she offered a small smile and took his hand in hers. "You could have told me. So you can count my ass in."

Enzo grinned. "See, mate? She gets it! These bloody bastards have tortured us all. Who's gonna give them the justice they deserve?"

Aaron began to stir. Damon's eyes were fixed on him in deep thought. He had tried so hard to be better, but all it did was push Nova away. She fought for her humanity only to find it no longer there thanks to Remiel. At least if he worked with Nova she would cooperate and it could be manageable. Maybe that's really all they were in the end - monsters. Aaron's eyes opened then and upon seeing the three vampires he leapt to his feet, heart beginning to race. Amusement was clear on Enzo's face, dangerous thought on Damon's, and something sadistic was hidden in Nova's emerald eyes. Aaron visibly shuddered when he met her gaze.

"It's time to come to a decision, Damon." Enzo broke his thoughts. "Do you want to kill him, or shall I?"

Nova's maroon lips downturned. "What am I, chopped liver, British boy?"

He chuckled. "Feel a bit left out there, little Roma? Why don't you take that pretty little heel of yours then and poke his eyes out for us?"

"Elena would never forgive you," Aaron spoke suddenly, his voice shaking. "Either of you."

Nova scoffed. "Ask me if I give a damn what my progeny sees me as, you _uman lipsit de valoare_ **(worthless human)**. She has been nothing but a sad excuse of a vampire turned with my blood."

Damon's eyes still remained fixed on the kid with an indiscernible expression. Finally, he released Nova's hand and approached Aaron. He shook like a leaf and was unable to stop the vampire from yanking off the vervain watch he wore, leaving himself open to be compelled. "Go back to college, pack up your entire life. There's one road that heads out of town. Take it north until you hit ice. Don't ever come back. Now _run._"

Doing just as he was compelled to do, Aaron fled from the boarding house. Both Nova and Enzo scowled at Damon. "What the bloody hell was that?"

"Don't tell me you're actually concerned about what doe-eyes thinks of you," Nova hissed. There was a wretched darkness making its way into her eyes.

Damon turned and looked at the still open door from where Aaron exited in a hurry. He fiddled with the watch in his hand, barely feeling the sting of the vervain, before a dangerous smirk pulled at his lips. "No, I thought we could play a little game."

While the three vampires took their time sadistically hunting down Aaron Whitmore, Travelers had found Katherine's body. Nadia had had a contingency plan set up just in case of her untimely demise. Stefan was searching for Elena who had seemed just the wrong bit of off that day while a Traveler was beginning the spell for Katherine to have complete control of her body. Elena tried to fight back, to find Stefan, but by the time she did there was nothing left of her; it was all Katherine. Stefan had been so relieved to find 'Elena'. Katherine hugged him tight with an awful grin he couldn't see.

Aaron had made it outside of Mystic Falls when he found someone laying in the middle of the road. He stopped the car and got out without leaving the vehicle's side. "Hey," he called, "are you alright?" It was too dark to see details, but he believed the figure to be a woman's. When she didn't respond or move in the slightest, he took only a couple of steps forward. "Can you hear me? Are you okay? Do you need help?"

In a split second that his eyes couldn't process, she was on her feet and right in front of his face. Nova grinned malefically, baring her fangs. "There is no amount of 'help' that could make me 'okay' again, kid. We've been waiting for you."

He whirled around in a futile attempt to run to find his path blocked by Damon and Enzo. "You said you were gonna let me go!" He shouted at Damon.

"Mm, not quite." Damon replied playfully. "I compelled you to pack your shit and get out of town. Not that we weren't going to hunt you down after. Thought it might be more fun than getting your blood on my very old and very expensive carpets."

"He's already had to clean them _so_ many times because of me," Nova whispered tauntingly in Aaron's ear.

"Everyone I've lost was because of you. Who murdered my entire family? YOU!"

Enzo shrugged. "Justifiably. Just look at what your filthy family has done to us and countless others."

"I did it," Damon shrugged. "I tore them apart. I didn't even have to tell Nova who they were for her to enjoy it as much as I did. I liked the sounds they made because I realized they deserved it. Like you…"

"Would you believe me if I said on en route here we played a little game to decide who got to tear into you first?" Nova's voice was low and threatening as her face changed slowly. "Guess who won?"

Before Aaron could take even another breath, Nova's fangs pierced his neck fiercely. He let out a cry as his blood poured down. After a minute or so she harshly ripped her teeth from him, leaving much larger gashes, and tossed him to the two male vampires. Blood dripped down her chin. She grinned toothily with even more blood still on her teeth. "Next in line."

* * *

Stefan walked up the pathway to the boarding house, unable to take his eyes off of Damon's car as he did so. The car was in front of the house's entrance and had been crashed into a planted pot. He then noticed that there was blood on the car's trunk door. Opening the trunk and found Aaron's body in it. He slammed the trunk shut with a deep sigh and walks inside pinching the bridge of his nose. Sitting on the couch was Damon with Nova in his lap. Both were visibly drunk and there was broken glass and empty bottles lying around. Nova ignored Stefan's existence to light up a cigarette whereas Damon grinned at his brother.

"Hey. Sorry about the mess. We had some company and things got a little out of hand."

"You want to tell me what the hell's going on out in the driveway?"

Nova started to snicker. "This idiot let Enzo drive his car over me. I drive a Firebird and Enzo has been in captivity for years. _Tâmpit_ **(idiot)** almost ended up in the gods damn foyer."

Seeing the chastising look on Stefan's face, Damon's lips curved into an 'o'. "Ohh, you must mean Aaron! Well, last night, we hunted him down, and ripped his throat out. We even so politely took turns. I just figured it's time to shove the last branch of the Whitmore family tree into the… wood chipper." He grinned and jerked a thumb towards Nova. "Her idea."

"I offered a great big bonfire," came Enzo with a smirk. "But I gotta say that the little Romanian has some style." He held his hand out to Stefan who was not amused in the slightest. "Enzo. Remember? We met when-"

"When you were trying to tear Damon's head off. Yeah. I remember." He looked between the two of them, still viciously unamused. "So, what, you guys are old pals again? Murder buddies, is that it?" His eyes kept darting to Nova who hadn't looked away from him once.

"Oh, you know how it goes." Damon shrugged. "I mean, I left him for dead, he tried to kill me, we worked things out. You spend 5 years with someone in a dungeon, you have a pretty unbreakable bond."

Staring the Romanian bravely in her emerald eyes, the younger brother asked, "What happened to trying to be better for Nova?"

Her maroon lips pulled into a devious smirk that nearly made Stefan shudder. Slowly, and with the unnatural grace she always had, Nova stood from Damon's lap. Her heeled boots stepped over some glass without care, breaking it into smaller pieces. She stood in front of Stefan, just barely a couple of inches shorter than he. Her hair was growing and had finally reached her collar bones. "Remiel fried my humanity," she told him matter-of-factly. "What you see of me is what you get. There is no reason to 'be better' for me anymore. This is who I am." When Stefan failed to speak, she tilted her head to the side and continued. "I don't suppose you've heard from Dr. Maxfield by chance, hm? He's next on the Augustine hit list - you can imagine why."

There was something in Nova's demeanor and tone that was actually bringing fear slowly into Stefan's bones. Something worse than just fried humanity was happening to her, but what was it? Was it something Maxfield had done? Had he succeeded in making the Ripper Virus work in her? If that were the case then she would have already mauled the three vampires in the room alone, wouldn't she have? The current version of Nova was unlike anything prior Stefan had ever witnessed with or without her humanity, and with or without drugs. Where had she and Zina vanished off to before Maxfield got her again? _Where was Zina still…?_

Still, Stefan forced himself to remain bold and bury the fear that was trying to claw its way in. "Is that the plan? Kill off Augustine and then go back to your sadistic, psychotic old selves?" Involuntarily, he actually took a step backwards when Nova's smirk turned into a dark and devilish grin that showed off her always slightly larger than normal fangs.

"I happen to like my old sadistic self, Stefan." Damon smirked as he finally got up off the couch. "In fact, I miss that guy. That guy was dumb enough to try and change for a town and a brother that never gave a damn about him."

"The pathetic part of myself that always tried to cling so desperately to humanity is long dead, dear Steffie." Nova added. "So many beatings, drownings, and volatile experiments killed her. All that's left is the Romanian _fiară_ **(beast)** now."

"Get another hobby, brother. You can't save us this time or ever again."

Stepping away from Nova, Stefan looked back to Damon. "Come on, Damon. You're better than this."

"On the contrary, brother; I'm better _like _this."

* * *

After having no luck in finding Wes Maxfield, the three Augustine hunting vampires thought about a witch and a tracker spell. Bonnie was a no-go having returned with no magic, so Nova made a phone call. "Whatever you are about to ask me for, Nova," came the Russian accent of Sofia Vasile, "consider it a hard 'no'."

Nova rolled her eyes. "Ah, come on, Sofia. I just need one, teeny locator spell. That's it. You don't even need to see me."

"What makes you think I even practice such trivial magic? My talent is _far_ beyond some pathetic locator spell. Try finding some basic witch, Nova. Shouldn't you twits have a Bennett witch back by now?"

"Yeah, but she came back without magic. Ergo, useless. And she's kind of the last of the Bennetts. Also, witches around here hide and don't exactly care for vampires."

Sofia sighed. "I am not doing a locator spell. As I already said, my talent reaches far beyond that. What I can do for you, at least, so you can get the hell off the phone with me for something so stupid, is point you in the direction of a nearby witch you should be able to terrorize into doing the damn spell for you."

Thanks to Sofia, the trio found a student by the name of Liv. She made it known to them that she was just some newbie who barely believed in magic. They made it very clear to her that magic and the supernatural exist with their fangs. When she tried to run, Nova iced her feet to the ground. "If you can do that then why the hell do you need me?!" Liv argued with a hint of fear.

Nova twirled her fingers around the air. An icy fog ghosted around her slender fingers ominously. "Because vampires can't do the kind of magic we need you to do. So do the spell, or die by rapid hypothermia with the knowledge that anyone you're blood related to or remotely give a damn about will end up the same. And just as a little warning, there's plenty more of _my_ family on the Other Side." She smirked.

Damon snickered. "Just so you know, cooperation isn't optional here, little witchy. And my fiance has much less patience than me or my friend here."

"We could always snag Bonnie and Jeremy for a little motivation," Enzo suggested.

Nova immediately whipped around with a volatile look in her emerald eyes. Both men immediately jumped back a step. "Don't even consider touching Jeremy," she hissed. "You want to dick with Bonnie? Or Elena? Or Stefan? Go right ahead. But you _do not_ touch Jeremy Gilbert."

"Got a soft spot for the kid, eh?" Enzo half taunted as he tried to conceal the fright in his tone.

She cut her eyes at him as they ignited violet. "Jeremy Gilbert is under the protection of myself and my sister. Do you really wish to take us both on? Because you would stand no chance no matter what horrors you have endured."

Not wanting to face the wrath of Nova Vasile, Liv gathered herself together and was able to do the locator spell. Wes Maxfield was in Richmond. As Nova's heels began clicking down the street, the two men jogged to catch up to her. "I'm driving," she deemed in a bold and emotionless voice. "Get any mud, dirt, or blood in my Firebird and I will stick you with ten thousand ice shards."

The ride to Richmond was alarmingly quiet. Both Damon and Enzo could feel something dark and malevolent stirring within Nova. She kept one hand intertwined with Damon's in the middle and the other firmly on the steering wheel. They found his makeshift lab, waltzing inside with Nova strongly in the lead of them both. Something didn't feel quite right to Damon. He hadn't wanted Nova up front to begin with, but he knew that Romanian battle rage anywhere. All she wanted was to storm the place and shred Maxfield into dog chow. When they entered, however, Travelers were waiting for them and began to chant. Nova rolled her eyes.

"And you are?" Damon questioned the small group.

Wes finally emerged from the shadows with a prideful smirk. "My backup."

"Joke's on you then." Nova retorted. She hissed something in a language not even the Travelers recognized, let alone Wes or Enzo. Damon cringed slightly knowing it was the Verbis Diablo. There was a boom of thunder outside, then dark purple smoke began to form beside Nova until it took the shape of a woman. Zina stepped out from the smoke. "My backup is much stronger."

Nova began chanting in the Verbis Diablo while Zina was doing the same in some other language literally none of them recognized while they launched their ice and lightning at the Travelers. Damon and Enzo took the opportunity to go straight for Wes who tried to bail but was not faster than vampires. One Traveler not yet attacked by the twins protected Wes from Enzo. Damon leaped for Wes but the awful doctor already had a syringe in his hand which he quickly jabbed into Damon's neck. As Damon fell to the ground from whatever had been injected into him, and the Travelers dropped one by one, Wes took the split chance he had to flee. Once he was safely gone, so were the rest of the Travelers. Nova rushed over to Damon and ripped the empty syringe from his neck.

"It's the Ripper Virus," Zina confirmed. "That's the same crap I pulled out of you."

Both Enzo and Zina jumped back at the malevolent snarl that came out of Nova. Without a second thought she wrapped Damon's arm around her shoulders and forced them both to their feet. He was trying to fight off the virus, but beginning to sweat. She didn't notice the way her blood seemed to feel different in her own veins suddenly. With her lips pursed in a tight, wrathful line Nova dragged them both onward. They had to get out of the lab at least. Zina and Enzo followed behind them.

"I can feel it taking hold, _dolcezza._" Damon's voice was strained. "That son of a bitch perfected his stupid virus."

"Shut up," she snapped back at him. "So long as we get out of this place, I might have an idea."

"Oh yes, because that's not concerning in the slightest," Enzo teased.

"I never said it was a very rational or sane idea," Nova countered. Suddenly, alarms were blaring and doors opening along the hall they were going down. Freshly turned and very confused vampires wandered out with fear in their eyes. They had been human probably not hours prior. Nova felt Damon's hand tighten around her upper arm similarly to the way he felt hers do the same around his waist. "Well, fuck me."

Zina put her arm in front of Enzo to stop him from getting any closer to the pair and keep them both a foot or two behind. When he looked at her, she just shook her head and kept her gaze forward. The chill of Oblivion's presence crept up her spine. The white haired celestial stared at the scene with an unusual concern that unnerved Zina. "Their blood is too closely linked," she told Zina. "Nova acknowledged that so I assume her idiotic plan was something along the lines of taking the virus from Damon and into herself. Certainly won't be able to find out now - with the virus activating in his blood it is triggering the same response in hers."

"Fuck," Zina muttered.

"Care to share with the class?" Enzo practically demanded. "Who the bloody hell even are you and where did you come from back there?"

"My name is Zina Vasile. I'm Nova's twin sister. I may have been doing some studying with a cosmic entity who informed me of how fucked we're about to be thanks to that Ripper Virus." Enzo could only blink in response, his mouth slightly agape. She pushed him back a couple more steps along with herself. "My sister and Damon have too deep of a link between their blood. Her blood is highly adaptive. The virus working into Damon's cells is triggering a reaction in Nova's." Finally realizing the severity of the situation, Enzo's eyes widened at the couple ahead of them. Both Damon and Nova had stiffened at the sight (and scent) of the handful of vampires. "Also, I've recently returned from being dead for about a century and a half or so more or less thanks to the archangel Lucifer. So, for the record, while this is a massive shit show, it's the least of our worries."

"I have a feeling it's going to work it's way up there, darling…"

Damon was finally standing upright on his own. Nova's fingers kept flexing from a closed fist to open, her nails partially digging into her palms. Zina could hear their heart beats rising quickly. Some of the new vamps were asking for help, wondering what was going on. Nova's fists closed for the final time with her nails dug deep into her flesh until she started to drip blood on the floor. After three drops from each palm had echoed loudly through their ears, both of their faces changed and their fangs extended. With immense speed, the couple began tearing into the new vampires.

"Okay, I can see how this might be a problem…" Enzo commented.

"You need to get out of here," Oblivion instructed Zina. "They will finish tearing through those fresh vampires in less than 90 seconds. There is an abandoned farmhouse about a mile away from here. Get them there and I will have Sofia spell them inside."

"I don't think we've got 90 seconds," Zina replied aloud. It confused Enzo but she paid no mind. Damon and Nova had just finished off the last two and turned slowly towards Zina and Enzo. "Run, British boy! Or we're next and can't help them!" She yanked on his arm to snap him out of his frightened trance and they were off with the two Rippers right behind them.


	20. Show Me How It Ends, It's Alright

20: Show Me How It Ends, It's Alright.

"Explain to me how the fucking hell this went from Nova needing a pathetic locator spell to the celestial Oblivion herself personally requesting that I seal up her and Damon in some dingy home because of a 'Ripper Virus'?" Sofia demanded with a cold glare in her icy blue eyes. Her arms were crossed and foot tapping impatiently on the half decayed grass.

"One Dr. Wes Maxfield for Augustine," Zina replied with a sigh. "It had been dormant in Nova's blood until it was activated in Damon's."

"Well that's just lovely. You realize how limited we are on time then to fix this bullshit before it overcomes them entirely?"

"Yes, and-"

"_And_ that it's only a matter of time before I'm sure at least Nova can shatter through a damn sealing spell with the rage of the Ripper coursing her blood which you two _degeneraty_ **(imbeciles)** activated the magic within? Perfect combination, really. Great job to both of you."

Tired of watching the two Vasiles go back and forth, Enzo stepped in between. "How much bloody time do we have then? And what are the chances that they'll try to kill one another in there?"

"Eight hours at best."

Inside the farmhouse, Nova had already destroyed most of the furniture and decorations out of rage. Damon sat with his head in his hands on the couch until she was done. Then he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms protectively around her. She tried to protest and get away for fear that she would lash out on him next, but he just shushed and held her. "I have two theories," he told her softly. "The first being that our blood is linked so maybe it won't register that we're two separate vampires."

"And the second?"

He scoffed dryly. "It's only a matter of time before we need to feed again and find out who's stronger finally I guess."

Her hands tightened around his leather jacket, face burrowed into his chest. "I won't do it, Damon." Her voice was so soft and gentle it reminded him of her human days strangely. "You are all I have left, truly, in this disgrace of a world. You are the only creature I cannot bring myself to harm. Either I will stake myself, or you will kill me. End of story."

"Seems like we're at a bit of a stalemate then because I can't hurt you either, Nova. I'm not gonna kill you. Not even if this virus demands it."

She pulled away enough to look up at him. The sorrowful brightness in her emerald eyes genuinely hurt him. In that moment he never would have thought that her humanity was off with no current hope of returning. "Promise me now that if it comes down to it, you will be the one to end my life, _iubițel._ Please."

He could see the agony within her surfacing well above the lack of humanity. The Ripper Virus had ended up being her final straw. She was losing hope to live. She must have been for months but without her humanity it remained buried, just festering. Without any confirmation that they were making it out of the farmhouse cured Nova Vasile had finally given up. With tears threatening his eyes, Damon pulled her back into him and held her tightly. His mouth opened then closed. His eyes closed, one singular tear slipping from his eye before his broken voice finally uttered a painfully quiet, "I promise, _dolcezza._"

While Sofia got to work on whatever she could possibly do against the virus, Zina called Stefan to fill him in. He felt guilty for turning his back on his brother and letting Damon end up in such a situation. He decided he would join the scene regardless and hopefully be able to help. Still trying to vye for his attention, "Elena" offered her company. Hearing her in the background just didn't sound right to Zina. When she hung up, she found Enzo at the invisible wall in the doorway talking to Damon who was looking overly distraught. Katia's ghost appeared beside her with a solemn look on her face.

"Nova's given up," she told her mother sadly. "She made Damon promise that if it comes down to it she will surrender and let him kill her."

"She wouldn't even try to fight back?" Zina's voice cracked a little with a painful surprise.

Katia shook her head. "After completely losing her humanity, being tortured and experimented on over and over, and everything else she's seen in her life… this Ripper Virus was the last thing for her. She won't strike down Damon even without her humanity and the virus coursing through her. That's the last bit of fight she's got left in her. She's just… done…"

Zina's eyes found her sister in a window on the second floor. Nova sat against the glass staring up at the stars in the sky. Zina could see the brokenness in her sister's eyes even at the distance. How far Nova Vasile had fallen in only a couple of years after so many successful ones…

* * *

The hours were ticking by. Sofia was getting frustrated that she was actually hitting such a wall in finding a solution. From time to time even she would sneak a glance at the fated lovers in the house. While Damon was growing antsy, Nova was clearly accepting death. It actually shocked Sofia to see the once proclaimed to be so great Nova Vasile having finally given up on survival. Zarya's face flashed through her mind briefly. After centuries of hiding in fear of persecution and death, one mortal girl had brought at least most of the clan together to stand against that fear. Above all costs Zarya chose to survive. So above all costs so would all of the Vasiles to stand and fight. Sofia wasn't going to let Nova go down like a wounded animal.

When Stefan and "Elena" arrived it was nearing the end of the eight hour window. The sun was just beginning to rise over the remnants of the night. Nova had been grinding her teeth and digging her nails into her palms until Damon would slap them because she would start to bleed. "What's the situation looking like?" Stefan questioned.

Zina shook her head. "It's not good… Sofia has been busting her ass, but Doctor Douche really went nuts with this virus. Nova… she…" She bit her lip. Pain was clear in her eyes and face. "She's given up… she won't attack Damon. She made him promise to kill her instead."

Both Stefan and "Elena"'s eyes widened. Even with the turmoil she was dealing with, however, Zina could just _feel_ something off about "Elena". Elena Gilbert would have been more concerned about her sire than she was showing. The brunette before her instead claimed to be 'so distraught' that she clung to Stefan for solace. Inside the house, Damon was holding Nova again. Enzo stood in the doorway still with angry sorrow. "Just hang on a little longer, mate," he urged. "The crazy Russian… she's almost got something, I know it!"

Damon ran his hands through Nova's hair. He still felt so bad that it was so short. He knew how much she hated it. "She doesn't though, Enzo." His tone was low and solemn. "We know she doesn't. And it's okay."

Katia, having been watching them completely unseen, finally understood the real plan. Her dark eyes widened in a sorrowful horror. She quickly flashed back out to Zina. "They're both going to die," she spoke quickly. "Damon obviously wouldn't tell Nova, but he's not going to let her die alone. And he certainly can't live with himself after killing her."

Zina's breath caught in her throat. There was _plenty_ of wood to fashion a stake in the house and no way for anyone to stop him without lowering the barrier and risk getting attacked. Being unable to see Katia's ghost, Stefan and "Elena" were confused about Zina's sudden painful breaking. "He's going to kill himself," she spoke quietly with a broken voice. "He's going to kill her, and then himself…"

"Go ahead and do it," Nova whispered to Damon. "It should buy you another eight hours. Hopefully Sofia can find something then."

He smiled sadly, unseen by her. "Yeah, we'll see I guess. I love you, Nova. Through eternity."

She clung a little tighter to him. Her eyes burned a little with tears that wanted to form. "I love you too, Damon. Through eternity."

Everything suddenly felt like slow motion. With some hesitation, and tears beginning to fall, Damon bit into Nova's neck. Enzo pounded on the invisible barrier, screaming and cursing at them both. Zina and Stefan ran forward while "Elena" remained frozen in place with an odd look on her face. Zina rushed to Sofia and hastily told her what was happening. Her blue eyes widened, teeth grit tightly. She had but one option left. The Russian whipped out her silver talisman with her magic sigil engraved on it and began chanting a rapid mix of the Verbis Diablo and the language Zina had spoken earlier - the language of Oblivion. Her blue eyes ignited burgundy. Violent winds whipped all around the area. The talisman floated above her palm as the sigil engraved on it ignited in the ground beneath her feet into a powerful spell circle. Nova was losing so much blood that the pair had fallen to their knees on the floor of the farmhouse with Damon still painfully feeding from her. She was growing weak and her vision darkening.

"What the hell is she doing?" Stefan shouted over the winds.

Zina and Katia's eyes were wide as Sofia's feet began to lift a few inches off the ground. "She's calling for help," Zina told him.

"What kind of bloody help?" Came Enzo.

"A celestial trinity," the mother and daughter replied though they could only see and hear Zina.

Inside the spell circle a purple smoke began to form to Sofia's left, and a scarlet fire to her right. Through the smoke and fire appeared Oblivion, and Lucifer. Oblivion's expression remained stoic and unreadable as usual, but Lucifer seemed highly amused. Without a word both celestials offered their power to Sofia just as Nova was losing consciousness. Her hand was finally too weak to cling to Damon any longer and fell to the floor. He could hear her heart becoming dangerously quiet and slow; it was about to stop all together. A massive bolt of blue lightning struck through the house directly upon Nova and Damon suddenly. Then one struck down Sofia. Oblivion and Lucifer vanished along with the magic circle, the wind stopped abruptly, and everything fell deadly silent. Sofia laid unconscious on the ground. Slowly, Enzo, Stefan, and Zina approached the house. Enzo tried putting his hand through the doorway first, finding the barrier down. Cautiously, all three entered.

Anything that stood upright or had been hung on the walls of the house had fallen and broken. All of the windows were shattered. Damon still sat on his knees in the middle of the living room with Nova cradled in his arms. The trio couldn't see either of their faces, nor could their hear any kind of vital signs from Nova. Stefan stepped forward first but couldn't find any words to say. After the longest minute any of them had ever lived through Damon finally stood. He lifted Nova into his arms and she made no sign of movement. Her eyes were closed. One arm fell off her side, dangling about as Damon walked past the three vampires and out the door. His countenance was as stoic as Sofia's usually was.

Katherine had to keep as calm as possible and show no sign of joy since everyone believed she was Elena, but it was getting so difficult when Damon walked out with Nova's lifeless body. She couldn't hear the Romanian breathing or even the faintest heartbeat. To watch Damon of all people having taken Nova's life and then carry her out was just _so_ satisfying for Katherine. She was greedily taking everything she wanted at last from Elena's perfect life, to Stefan's affection, and the icing on the cake was the death of Nova Vasile by the man who loved her most. Even when Damon hopelessly searched for Katherine, and blindly loved her in 1864, still that goddamn Nova Vasile was always there over Katherine's shoulder and in Damon's eyes. At long last there was no Nova for him to return to and it was all his fault. Katherine nearly burst out with glee. And unfortunately for her, Zina out of everyone could see it because she knew Katerina Petrova best.

The sun was rising steadily, golden light pouring across the land. Slowly, Sofia came to. Her eyes fluttered open and Zina helped her up, muttering something in her ear in Russian. Sofia was confused by Zina's partially broken Russian and her use of it until she put together what the Romanian was telling her. All eyes and attention then fell upon Damon and Nova as the rising light gleamed behind them. Sofia bit the inside of her cheek; had she been too late? Could she not protect Nova's life in time? Zina's hand rubbed her chest where her heart would have been as a pained weight settled in.

The sound of a cawing crow filled the silent air. Katherine resisted the urge to scowl as she looked around for the bird when something else caught her eye - a butterfly. And not your basic kind of monarch or anything, no, it was a bright emerald green butterfly with black around the outsides of its magnificent wings. The crow cawed again and more butterflies appeared. Zina's eyes widened with hopeful light. "_Fluturele de smarald…_"

"English, please?" Enzo muttered.

"The emerald butterfly… it's what our mother calls Nova."

The cawing of the crow grew more frequent and soon the area was practically filled with gallant emerald butterflies just fluttering about them all calmly. One landed on Nova's chest. It just sat there peacefully. With the sunrise behind them it was undoubtedly a magically beautiful image. Katherine was losing her grip on not scowling at the visual or swatting at the butterflies. With one more extra loudly echoing caw, Katherine in particular swore she saw Nova's hand twitch. Damon hadn't once taken his eyes off of the ravenette in his arms. His grip around her tightened just a little with uncertain hope. "Come on, _dolcezza,_" he whispered so quietly that only Nova would have been able to hear. Even being surrounded by vampires. "_Please._"

Everyone was practically holding their breath. Finally, the emerald butterfly on Nova's chest flew upward with the other butterflies that floated gracefully around her and Damon. There was a more obvious twitch of her hand that caused eyes to widen, then she was gasping for breath with her own emerald eyes wide open. With the focus on Nova's revival no one noticed Katherine's eye twitch. Damon partially let go of Nova so he could hug her tightly instead with tears of relief practically pouring down his face. She hadn't clung to him so tightly in years either.

"I'm so sorry," he spoke in her ear.

"You did exactly what I asked of you. Thank you." She pulled back just enough to put her hands on his face and give him a reassuring smile before kissing him.

"What the fuck kind of mojo did you pull for this?" Zina whispered to Sofia.

The blue eyed Russian put her talisman back around her neck as a necklace. "Something I know I am going to have to pay for later. Try not to let them be so fucking foolish again." In a flash, she was gone.

* * *

Damon and Nova retreated to Nova's house in the woods for some well deserved peace and quiet when it was deemed entirely that neither of them were vampire slaughtering Rippers anymore. No one had any real answers for what Sofia did, only that it worked and they were in her debt. For the first time in what felt like a long time, Damon and Nova just enjoyed the hell out of each other's company. They essentially spent hours rekindling their relationship and romance. It was almost questionable if Nova's humanity had been redeemed even in the slightest. Whether it was or was not Damon was just glad to have life back in his fiance.

"Since you're in such a good mood at last," he started with a grin, "why don't you give ten minutes of thought to, maybe… I don't know… our wedding?"

Nova stood at the end of the bed staring at him laying nonchalantly and crossed her arms. "Do you really find now to be the appropriate time for that? Even after surviving today, there's still Maxfield out there, Travelers, pissed off archangels, cosmic entities-"

He jumped off the bed and put his hands on her hips, still grinning. "And this is Mystic Falls which is the most perfect awful town to a host wedding amidst a bunch of supernatural bullshit. Come on, can you at least humor me with a few trivial ideas?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Like what?"

"Maid of Honor?"

"Lethia, duh. She can go into labor during the ceremony for all I care."

He laughed a little. "Bridesmaids then?"

That made Nova's lips twitch slightly. She didn't exactly have any other wedding worthy friends past Lethia, especially after all she'd done since shutting off her humanity… "Uh… Zarya I guess could… I'd probably have to forcibly stuff her in a dress though. Zina, maybe?"

"If that's your way of asking me to be your bridesmaid then of course I will since you clearly don't know what you're doing," came Zina's voice in the doorway. "Normally I would totally feed into wedding plans, but something much more pressing has come up."

Nova grinned up at Damon whose grin had turned into a frown. "Something always does, doesn't it?" She tapped his cheek playfully before sitting on the edge of the bed.

He groaned. "And what the hell could it possibly be this time?"

"Katherine used the Traveler spell to take over Elena's body. It hasn't been Elena since Katherine died. She never actually died; she just hopped into Elena."

Their eyes widened and Nova leaped off the bed. "You've got to be fucking blowing me!" She exclaimed with rage.

Zina made a face at the statement. "Unfortunately, no. I know Katherine Pierce pretty damn well. That was not Elena at the farmhouse. The calmness was not Elena first of all, and it was forced to hide the excitement of your impending death, sister. She's been vying desperately for Stefan's affections and not caring enough about either of you - her own sire in particular because she doesn't feel that bond because you are not Katherine's sire."

"How the hell has she been getting away with this for so long then?" Questioned Damon as his own anger rose steadily.

"She's been compelling Matt Donovan. It hasn't been easy without Nadia's help. She did find out you killed Nadia, by the way," she directed at Nova. "Matt kind of started to catch on and got a text to Caroline today just before he was compelled again today."

"What did the text say?"

"'_Help. K_' before he was cut off. It's Katherine."

Nova's eye twitched. "How _the fuck_ do we get rid of that Bulgarian _pizdă_ once and for fucking all?!" Damon stood behind her and tried rubbing her arms and shoulders in an attempt to soothe her.

Zina shrugged. "All we have to do is stab her with the Traveller knife which Matt supposedly still has."

"This is Katherine we're talking about." Damon said. "She's going to see a sneak attack from a mile away. We've got to get her to come to us. Get her guard down, corner her."

Zina smirked. "I think I have a plan that will work. Both of you come back to the boarding house in the morning."

Nova arched a brow. "If she was your best friend and adopted you, then why are you helping kill her for good?"

"Because I've come to realize that Katherine and I are no longer the same kinds of people. She will never change. While we'll both do what it takes to survive, I'm not going to stab every single person along the way in the back to do so. I know now the meaning of family and that it's more beneficial than to be alone. It's about time Katherine meets her fate." With a small nod, Zina saw herself out of the house.

"I can't believe that bitch got us again," Damon commented when they were alone again.

"She was ready to pronounce me dead as my own progeny. You better believe I'm going to be the one to drive that knife through her and end the reign of Katerina Petrova once and for all."

After several attempts from Elena's friends to get Katherine to show her face, not a single one of them had hooked her. They were each met with various excuses which led them to believe she may have been onto them. Just when they were running out of ideas, Nova and Damon walked in. "My turn," Nova announced as she pulled out her phone.

"What makes you sound so certain?" Caroline questioned.

The raven haired Romanian just smirked and dialed, putting the phone to her ear. Katherine had hesitated in answering, but knew if she didn't it would look even worse. "I need your help with something, Elena."

Katherine's lips twitched on the other line. She forced forward her best Elena voice. "Normally I would love to but-"

"I need my humanity back, Elena. You're the only one left who might be able to help me. After what happened yesterday… I need you. I need you to help me. Please, Elena."

Everyone, even Damon, stared at Nova with gaping surprise. Her voice sounded so sincere, yet she spoke every lie with a smirk on her maroon lips. Katherine was silent for a long minute. That really had been a request that Elena Gilbert could not have refused. At long last she spoke exactly what they needed her to: "I'll meet you at the boarding house in about an hour then. We'll get your humanity back, Nova. I've got you."

"I know you do, Elena. Thank you."

"Why would that make Elena rush to your aid though?" asked the blonde vampire. "So how does it trap Katherine?"

"Because Katherine doesn't know my humanity is fried with no way possible that Elena could just turn it back on. Elena knew and she wouldn't have tried because there's nothing to try. Yet knowing Elena's good nature and desperacy for Damon and I to be better people, she would try everything she could to bring back her sire's humanity." She dropped down on the couch with her feet on the coffee table. "Now, where the hell is that magic knife I get to shank the bitch with?"

Damon chuckled and kissed the top of her head. "I'll be back for the show, but I've got a quick errand to run."

"Do we want to know?" Jeremy asked with some light humor to his voice.

The elder Salvatore smirked as he headed back towards the door. "Probably not."

Heels clicked into the room and something was tossed on Nova's lap. Zina smirked down at her sister with her hands on her hips. "There's your magic knife. Keep it hidden on your person. Katherine will be expecting just you here so the rest of us need to make ourselves scarce but ready to strike in the event that she tries to run."

Nova's maroon lips were pulling into a grin as she toyed with the knife. "So this is seriously happening? I really get to kill Katherine Pierce once and for all?"

"Consider this your Christmas come early, sister."

While everyone awaited Katherine's arrival and hid about the boarding house to seal the exits, Damon had gotten a lead on Wes. He tracked the doctor down to a warehouse. Wes started hearing noises through the quiet and fear crept up his spine. "Hello?" He called into the warehouse. He reached for his phone, but Damon's hand snatched his wrist with a malevolent grin.

"What's up, doc?"

Maxfield's eyes widened with horror. The pressure Damon was putting on his wrist was just barely enough not to shatter the bones. "H-how did you find me?"

"Turns out my fiance's twin is a pretty damn good tracker. She can find anything from objects to people. People can be easier because of the whole clairvoyance thing but it can get fuzzy sometimes. This time she had some pretty damn good motivation because thanks to you she had to watch me kill her sister who begged for death by my hand. Now it's gonna be _you_ who dies by my hand instead."

"Nova Vasile is dead? You killed her?"

"Oh don't sound so excited. The Vasiles are a slippery bunch so no actually she's alive and well now. And your virus is no longer in our blood. So I'm here to finally end your pathetic, miserable life and make sure you never touch my soon to be wife ever again." He smiled then grabbed Wes' throat with his free hand and slammed him down on a metal table. "This time, it's _my_ turn to play doctor." He grinned and grabbed a nearby scalpel.

Back at the boarding house everyone was in place for Katherine's arrival. Nova stood in front of the fireplace with a glass of bourbon. Her daggers were in her boots as they always were. She took a page from Zarya's end of things and had the Traveler's knife hidden in her sleeve. Once the door opened, she smirked as she brought the glass to her lips. "I really appreciate you coming, Elena. I want to be free of all of this finally."

Something in her tone made Katherine cautious. Still, she forced an Elena-esque smile. "I'm happy to help, Nova. I was really hoping you would come around. I miss the old you."

"Yeah, I imagine you would. She was easier to kill."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Nova set her glass down before finally turning to the brunette. As soon as they locked eyes everything was out in the open. "You've got two options right now, _Katherine._" The brunette scowled. "You can try to run, or you can grow a spine and fight me."

Katherine smirked. "Oh believe me, Nova, I've been itching to kick your ass once and for all for decades."

"You can try, but you might break a nail."

Back and forth the two went throwing punches and tossing one another over furniture. Nova whipped out her daggers and amped up her speed. When she got a few pretty nasty cuts on Katherine, the brunette made her first escape attempt. She went straight for the front door and was stopped by Caroline who tossed her back to Nova's feet. Katherine tried to knock away the daggers but she was realizing just how agile Nova Vasile actually was. She was no longer on drugs, or angel blood, or her mind in shambles and filled with rage. No, the Nova that Katherine was fighting was Nova Vasile the Warrior Princess. She made another attempt to flee and was thwarted that time by Jeremy and Matt. She backed slowly towards another exit where Stefan and Zina blocked her path.

"Not you too, Zina," she hissed.

"I've taken my second at chance at life with grace, Katherine." The younger twin spoke calmly. "You will never change. I can't support your hatred and ability to turn on anyone anymore. I'm sorry."

Looking around the room, Katherine realized she was definitely out of options. She kept glancing at Nova's daggers. "You kill me with those and you never see Elena again. You're willing to do that?"

"Actually," came Damon's voice suddenly as he walked in and joined Nova by her side, "we've got something to deal with that too."

Nova smirked and put her daggers away which seemed to course more fear into Katherine. Then she let the Traveler's knife slide out from her sleeve. "This is _your_ end, Katerina Petrova." She spoke strongly and venomously with her Romanian accent thick.

Katherine's eyes looked to where Damon was as Nova advanced slowly on her with the knife, but Damon had vanished. She stepped back a couple of paces just to bump into said vampire. "You've caused enough damage, Katherine," he hissed in her ear. "We'll see you in Hell one day."

He held her still as Nova approached. The Romanian lightly pressed the blade against Katherine's stomach while staring her in the eye. "You will _never_ best me again, Katherine. You will _never_ take what is mine or ruin a single shred of my life. This is your end." She thrust the blade in so deeply it reached the hilt and the side of her hand touched Katherine. Katherine gasped, and Nova gave a sharp twist before ripping the knife out. The light leaving her eyes could not have been more satisfying to Nova in that moment. As the brunette fell, Damon caught her and handed her off to Stefan.

* * *

Bonnie had taken solace in a church and lit a candle for her dad. She jumped when Katia appeared beside her suddenly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude or startle you."

"It's alright. Aren't you… already dead though? Why are you here?"

"I can come and go as I please between the Other Side and mortal realm. I'm sure you already know, but Katherine is on her way here in death. She won't be passing through you to the Other Side though."

"What do you mean? How do you know?"

"There are a lot of things I know, Bonnie Bennett. Like the fact that while several rejoice in your being brought back, several more detest it." The former witch's eyes widened. Katia's dark ones remained fixed on the flames of the candles. "My mother is an anchor like yourself now because of magic she tried to use to bring me back. If she had succeeded, it wouldn't have mattered what Silas or Qetsiyah did. You would still be dead, and I could have lived. Instead, here you stand getting to enjoy your life and love with Jeremy Gilbert while only my mother can see me thanks to her bracelet."

"Why do you seem to think you deserve to live more than I do? You've already lived a lot longer than I have."

"And yet I'm still more useful than you. Being the anchor to the Other Side stripped you of your magic. You must endure each day as every dying supernatural creature who deserves this created purgatory passes painfully through you. I came here to give you a warning."

"Of what…?"

"Without your magic, you're far too defenseless. My mother has already excelled far beyond expectations. We Vasiles are much stronger than you think. It's only a matter of time before I do return, and you lose the one person you are holding too closely to your heart. On top of that," she finally met Bonnie's eyes, "you could not even begin to comprehend what it about to come. You haven't even begun to consider it. And even with your magic you would not be strong enough to defend even yourself."

"Gotta love the crypticism of the Vasiles, right?" Came Katherine behind them both. "Let's get this over with."

Katia chuckled. "Little bit bitter because Nova finally bested you after all these years? You never stood a chance against our family, Katherine. The day you ran Zarya and her family off the bridge was the day you started to slowly bring our clan together. So thanks, I guess. Have fun in Hell, Katerina."

She marched up to them wanting to cuss out Katia, but the ravenette vanished before she could. With a sneer still on her face she grabbed Bonnie's upper arms, ready to pass to the Other Side. Both women were shocked when nothing happened at all. "Nothing's happening. What the hell is wrong?"

"I don't know… this has never happened before."

Katherine tried again to grab her shoulders, but still nothing happened. "Bonnie, what are you doing? Let me pass through! Why won't you let me pass through?"

"I don't know! I don't control it."

"_What?_"

"It's not up to me."

"Then who is it up to?" A powerful wind blew through the church, dragging Katherine backwards. She was skidding on her stomach, trying hopelessly to grab onto anything. "Bonnie!"

The former witch stood frozen in shock. "I can't help you Katherine."

Actual fear crossed Katherine's face. Nova, Damon, and Katia had mentioned her going to Hell. Could they have been right…? The wind kept yanking her back and no matter how hard she tried, there was nothing for her to cling to. She was finally yanked into nothingness with a terrified scream, leaving Bonnie alone in the church.


	21. You Can't Change Your Fate

**A/N: **I'm finally making some decent progress with season 5 of TVD. Finally about to wrap up when I've had _Rise III_ already started LOL

Tbh this season just kills me inside -shrug-

Thank you all though to everyone who enjoys what I've been writing about it and stuck around to keep reading! You're all awesome!

xoxo  
Kuraki-chan

* * *

21: You Can't Change Your Fate.

Damon had been inexplicably glad to walk into Nova's house and hear the sound of the grand piano echoing throughout again. He approached quietly as to just watch her for a little bit. Her face and body were calm and serene while her fingers tapped away on the keys. Her hair was slowly starting to grow its way down her shoulder blades which allowed the natural waves to begin to form. It had felt like so long since Damon saw her at any kind of such peace. As soon as he stepped into the room she stopped playing and gave a small smile to him.

"You don't know how nice it is to see you playing again," he told her before joining her on the piano bench.

"I know that my humanity isn't intact anymore, but I'm learning to work with what I've got I guess." She shrugged. "Some sort of normalcy keeps me stable."

"Oh, good. Then you might be more inclined to do something for me."

One of Nova's brows rose curiously and skeptically as she looked to him. "I suppose it depends on what that is."

"Well…" He drawled with a playful grin. "I was thinking about May."

"What about May…?"

"For our wedding of course."

She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "This again?"

"Absolutely 'this again'! I could have lost you the other night, Nov. We've spent over a century and a half just trying to be and remain together. Don't you think we deserve something good for ourselves?"

She rolled her eyes and kept looking everywhere in the room but him, but she honestly couldn't say he was wrong. "Why May?" She finally asked softly.

He smiled and took her hand. "Because that's when I met the most beautiful girl from Romania. Also we missed Valentine's Day so we couldn't be cliche like that."

That actually got her to laugh a little. A sweet sound that always brought joy to Damon's ears. "Okay, then what makes you think we can pull together a wedding amongst all the bullshit we're dealing with in, what? Like two months?"

"I'm sorry, have you met Caroline Forbes? She could help pull together our wedding if we wanted it tomorrow evening."

"Fine, I'll start mulling over ideas if it'll get you off my back."

"Oh, good!" Came the excited cheer of Zina suddenly. "I've got plenty already. There's this site called Pinterest that's just filled with ideas."

Nova sweatdropped. "I've got to get new locks and start using them."

* * *

While Nova and Zina sorted out wedding ideas (mildly begrudgingly on Nova's part as she was forced to stare at a laptop her sister had acquired), Damon, Stefan, Caroline, and Enzo approached Sloan and the Travelers. Elena was doing her best to sort out her life again at Whitmore with Bonnie, Liv, and Luke. "We know you want the doppelgangers," Damon started. "We want something too."

Sloan raised a brow curiously. "And what would that be? Also, why would I care enough to give it to you?"

"We need Nova's humanity back. The archangel Remiel damaged it. Can you fix it?"

Her eyes kept flicking to the other three vampires, Stefan especially. "I probably could. But something of that caliber will require a substantial payment. There's still one more doppelganger out there; I need to find him, and kill him."

"And how exactly is that to be accomplished?" questioned Caroline.

Sloan smirked as she looked to Stefan. "By creating a link through Stefan's mind."

Damon looked to his brother. There was hesitation in his olive eyes, but then he flashed back to Nova tumbling down the stairs in 1860. He wanted nothing more than to laugh and say 'hell no', but guilt began to creep in. He glanced to Sloan, then back to Damon and saw Nova drowning in the river again with Damon rushing to save her. He even recalled how Nova swapped herself in in place of himself to Klaus. His rocky relationship with Nova from day one was what got her into this mess. Finally, he sighed. "I'll do it."

"I'm not wearing white," Nova told her twin for what had to be the hundredth time.

"Well I hate to break it to you, sister, but that's kind of all you get when you search 'wedding dresses'." Zina quipped back.

The elder sister rolled her eyes and snatched the laptop. Her lengthy nails clicked away on each key, emerald eyes scanning the screen with a quick pace. She made some faces at some things she found until one caught her eye. "That's why you don't look up basic ass wedding dresses, _prost_ **(dumbass)**."

When Nova handed the laptop back, Zina's brows raised. "Okay, fine. So what about your maid of honor and bridesmaids?"

"Lethia is my maid of honor, obviously. And I want the dresses based around a dark or emerald green."

"Alright, so who are you having for your bridesmaids?" Nova's expression deadpanned and looked out the window rather than at the laptop or her sister. Zina sweatdropped. "You haven't thought about bridesmaids."

"How am I supposed to? I don't have female friends. I never have. It's always just been me, Lethia, and Damon."

"You do have friends though, Nova. After everything that's happened since you returned to this psychotic town you actually managed to gain people who give a damn about you. People who just try to help you do and be better; be _happy_. Do you need me to actually list them off for you?" She started ticking off the names on her fingers: "There's Zarya who's bent over backwards for this shitty family, Elena, Caroline, Sofia, Daciana, Nessa, Katia, even me. And that's just women."

Nova's eyes turned towards her sister who was looking to her with a sweet smile that reminded Nova of their mother a bit. _No,_ she realized. _That's Katia's smile… Katia got _her _mother's smile…_ A small ache clutched her heart at the thought of the dhampir.

"We can deal with the bridesmaids later," she finally spoke in a quiet voice.

Zina decided not to press any further. She could see that, even with her damaged humanity, Nova didn't feel worthy of anyone's friendship. Not unless it was Damon and Lethia who had seen her at her worst plenty of times. She nodded and moved onto more trivial things like accessories and the cake.

* * *

Miles away, Sloan was essentially frying Stefan's head to find the other doppelganger. When she did, Caroline and Enzo were sent to kill him. Caroline was less than thrilled, but it kept Stefan's brain from being totally fried again. She didn't trust that Sloan could or even would restore Nova's humanity, but it was worth a shot. If they were going to stand up against the Travelers and archangels then they needed Nova Vasile in top shape.

It took a few hours, but finally Zina left Nova alone in her home. For a little while she continued to scroll the 'pinterest' that Zina had showed her. When she found herself growing bored and uncaring, she took Damon's black box out from beneath her bed. One by one she read more of the letters again. She read about the escaped tomb vampires, John Gilbert and Elena's actual birth parents, and Mason Lockwood. Damon frequently boasted about how she would have seen it all coming from a mile away which made her smile. She couldn't really deny it though; she remembered each and every one of those vampires locked in the tomb. She would have known their plan to attack on Founder's Day.

"I should have come back sooner," she muttered before returning to the laptop.

Damon approached Sloan once it was confirmed that Tom Avery was dead. Most of the Travelers had already packed up and begun 'traveling' yet again. "I can't help you," she told him uncaringly. "Even if I could have fixed Nova's humanity, I wouldn't because she is a Vasile. And the Vasiles have done nothing but damn us for centuries."

Anger burned in Damon's chest. "That was Saskia!" he argued. "And it was only because Remiel manipulated her! The rest of the Vasiles are trying to fight back against those two lunatics but we can't do that without Nova!"

She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. Instead, her eyes widened in horror just before blood poured from her mouth. She started to choke, then blood spouted from her nose, ears, and eyes. Damon took a step back as Sloan fell face first into the dirt. Someone stood behind her a few feet wearing a dark cloak with the hood up. Their hand was outstretched, implying that they had done magic to kill Sloan. Damon prepared himself to have to either take off quickly or kill the stranger even quicker. Finally, the person's hands grasped the edges of the hood and tugged it down.

Brown hair fell down in light waves as Auriel smiled up at the vampire. "Never trust Travelers," she told him calmly. "It's a miracle they didn't fry your brother's brain. They do, however, have his and Elena's blood for their next phase. I had a feeling I would be just a pinch late today."

"Riel?" Damon questioned with disbelief. "What _the fuck_ is going on? The last time we saw you-"

"Oh, don't worry about that." She stepped over Sloan's body carelessly as if it were just a speed bump or tree root. "Do you want your beloved's humanity repaired or not?"

"I can't trust you."

"Well, you couldn't trust Sloan either." She smiled darkly before giving a tap with her foot to Sloan's body. "The difference is that I can actually do it. It'll just take some time."

"We don't exactly have a whole lot of time."

"I am well aware. But you have more time than you think. Right now, Runa's body is wearing too badly for Remiel to continue to use. And with the deaths of the clan dhampirs, Remiel must search elsewhere for a vessel."

"So we have until she gets a brand new suit. Lovely. What about Saskia?"

"Unlike her mother, Saskia is wearing thin but has no desire to take another body or extend her life further."

"Then what the hell is Saskia trying to do?"

"That's not quite any of your business," she smiled up at him.

_They're working together,_ he realized. _They're trying to make sure Remiel goes down, but why…? What does Saskia get out of it? What the hell does Saskia want, especially with Riel on her side?_

"What Remiel did to Nova," Auriel's voice broke him from his thoughts, "was some pretty extensive damage. It will take a great power to fix it."

"And you can do it…?"

"I can do many things, Damon. You've barely touched upon the story just yet."

* * *

"What are you reading?"

Zina jumped a little at the sudden sound of Jeremy's voice. She had been alone in the boarding house; how didn't she hear him come in or approach her? Her dark eyes looked up from the large, old book in her lap to the young hunter. "A very old grimoire in case of emergency."

He sat beside her on the couch and looked over her shoulder at the pages. His face scrunched up. "In what language? That's nothing I've ever seen before."

She snickered and rolled her eyes. "I sincerely doubt you speak over thirty languages anyways. This is actually a very dead language. One that makes angels and demons shiver when they hear it. It technically has no name, but I guess some have taken to calling it the 'Verbis Diablo' thanks to this show Penny Dreadful."

"Why is it so scary to angels and demons?"

"Why are you taking such an interest?"

He chuckled a little and rubbed the back of his head. "Well… everyone else is gone. And after the spell you did to bring Nova here from Whitmore… I guess I'm pretty interested in the things you know."

She looked back down at the book so her hair fell enough to hide the light pinkness coming to her pale cheeks. "It was a language that only Lucifer and Remiel knew in Heaven," she explained. "Angels speak Enochian which meant that their conversations were not private. So they came up with their own language."

"What made it so awful then?"

"Remiel, of course. She imbued it with the darkness that burned inside of her and it became a cursed tongue."

"So is that one of her books?"

"It's actually one of Lucifer's. I'm hoping to find _something_ that might be able to fix Nova's humanity."

Jeremy made her jump again when he put his hand on top of hers. Her head jerked up to look at him. "I don't think he would have known anything about a vampire's humanity, Zina. Hasn't he been locked away for a good few millennia?"

Sorrow flashed in her dark eyes as she looked away. "I know that… I was hoping that just _maybe_, if it wasn't directly related, that I could find _something_ to help her…"

"I never would have thought I'd see the day where you would be so determined to help your sister." Jeremy smiled at her. He still hadn't taken his hand back either.

"Never thought I'd see the day where I was alive again…" She muttered.

Jeremy chuckled. "Yeah, that happens a lot around here. For what it's worth, I'm glad you're alive and changed for the better with it."

A warmth began to grow where her heart should have been. She gave his hand that still held hers a little squeeze. "I couldn't waste this life continuing to be angry and bitter. It's not why I was brought back."

"So you do know why you were brought back?"

"Not really, no. All I know is that Lucifer had the mojo and did it because… because Siya Vasile asked him to."

"Siya?" His brows raised. "Isn't that Zarya's mom?" She nodded. "Why would she ask that? And why would Lucifer just do it?"

Zina shrugged. "I haven't been able to come up with a solid theory myself. When Zarya's family was about to die going over the bridge, Siya made a plea to Lucifer that he would spare Zarya's life and he did. He continues to to this very day. I don't understand why I was significant enough for her to ask that I be revived, why he went through with it, or why the repercussions were worth it."

"Do you think that maybe Siya needed Katia on the Other Side? And the other dhampirs? She was a hunter when she was alive, so she's got to have a plan of her own, right?"

Bonnie saw them both through the front window. She could only see the backs of them, but it still showed how closely Zina and Jeremy sat together. She turned hastily and walked back the way she had come without ever being noticed.

"I couldn't even begin to fathom what Siya Vasile could possibly be plotting from the Other Side," said Zina.

"Well, being over there who knows what she's seen? We need to focus about right here on our own plane right now though. I was hoping you might want to help with something."

* * *

"Why families get kicks out of imprisoning their relatives in boxes astounds me."

Lucifer looked to the white haired woman standing outside of the Cage with a raised brow. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Vespera?"

She chuckled lightly as she circled around the old, iron Cage. "Of course you would be the one to remember my name I abandoned eons ago. The time is nearly upon us, my dear nephew."

"Rya is nowhere near ready or able to kill Remiel. What are you even doing here? Won't Remiel find out?"

"Of course not. When Remiel went dark, my power that was used to create her went dark and therefore detached itself from me. That is why she struggles so deeply. She has nothing to root herself to. And Zarya will be ready in due time."

"So why are you here, Vespera? And quite frankly _how_?"

She smirked. "I have an anchor, now. Thank you for that, by the way."

"Who the hell-" Then it struck him. "Zina?"

She nodded. "She's a very capable woman. And having an anchor allows me more access. Something your Father didn't quite count on."

"Fine. Then for the third time: what the hell are you doing here?"

"I thought you might want some insight to what the future brings since it's so terribly boring and dreadful down here."

"Don't you mean what the future _could_ bring? I thought the future was ever changing."

"Oh, it is, but there are a few fixed points that will happen no matter what the course is."

"Like what?"

"Like the daughter you and Zarya will create that will hold the full power of the clan."


	22. What You Reap is What You Sow

22: What You Reap is What You Sow.

"You're going to protect Elena and I'm going to help you stop the Travelers," Jeremy told Luke and Liv confidently and unwavering.

Luke rolled his eyes. "You realize this is an epic conflict of interest?"

Liv shrugged. "Maybe not. Jeremy's got hunter skills and he's not afraid to take a stand. If the Travelers are coming for his sister, or making a move on Mystic Falls, or both, he's going to see it coming before we do. So, what's the catch?"

"I'm going to need some help." From behind him came Tyler, Matt, and Zina.

"More townies," Luke spoke with great disdain. "No."

"They're part of the deal. Take it or leave it."

"How can we trust her though?" Liv questioned, nodding to Zina.

"I'm doing this for _my _sister," the ravenette replied as she stood beside Jeremy, "and our family. The Travelers were burned by Saskia Vasile centuries ago. We want to burn them both. Also, I'm psychic and have my own access to magic which are both highly useful to you both. Don't waste your time trusting me; trust what I can do and why I'm doing it."

* * *

Stefan and Caroline awoke at the Traveler's camp to the sound of their chanting. They peered out on the scene and found the group taking turns drinking what was Stefan and Elena's blood. They wondered why Sloan was nowhere in sight. Instead, someone else had taken up her position. The person took a lit torch after the blood had been drunk by everyone and set one of the Travelers on fire. Caroline gasped as they all went up in flames.

"This is it," Stefan whispered. "Time to go. Take my hand."

The pair sped away as the Travelers burned in their circle.

* * *

At Whitmore, Bonnie sighed when she got Jeremy's voicemail. "Hey Jer, um, I haven't heard back and I have a million questions, so… I miss you, and… I'm confused, that's all. Call me?"

She sighed and sat on her bed when Travelers gathered around her. She immediately jumped back to her feet. They chanted as they each touched her arm to pass through her on their way to the Other Side. She cried out each time. After so many passed through her, Bonnie collapsed on the ground. As she laid there, a shadow left her body and materialized into a man who walked out of the room. His face was hidden in the darkness. Bonnie laid on the floor of her dorm unconscious and unable to do anything.

* * *

Nova was rather thankful when Zarya called for a favor because it gave her a break from wanting to squirm under wedding plans. Why were there so many things to think of? "Do you have five minutes and know anything about the Styne family?" She asked the Romanian.

She was completely caught off guard by the name. "Yes I do, and _who?_"

"The Styne family," Zarya repeated, spelling it out that time. "The earliest record of them goes to about the 1800s when they just magically popped up. Then they went on to be some serious slime helping Hitler and shit."

"Fucking gods," Nova muttered. "How do you always manage to find these kinds of people, Zarya? The Stynes are the worst of the worst in Europe. Where do you think my parents got most of their techniques?"

"Seriously? So they do, like… torturous experiment crap like Whitmore?"

"It's their family specialty - bioengineering and surgical enhancement. That's exactly what my parents did to me. They wanted me to be superhuman but the Stynes… they take it even further. My parents experimented with supernatural adjustments while still keeping me human. The Stynes just add on for protection. Extra leg muscle, two hearts, you name it. They were one of Europe's oldest families."

Zarya gasped with the realization. "The House of Frankenstein… it's real?"

"And much worse than some man put together and zapped alive by lightning. Chaos breeds fear, fear breeds panic, and panic breeds desperation. They profit from desperation. Everytime some mess happens they swoop in and take care of it with their dark magic. They feed on the fear of the Earth. They're monsters even worse than us because they are still technically human."

The call dropped suddenly. Nova was partially tempted to fly out to the young woman when she got a text from Damon updating her that Stefan and Elena were having visions to draw them together for the Travelers. They were trying to find out where their leader Markos was and what he wanted from Stefan and Elena. She stared at the text while a rather bad and dangerous idea approached her mind; there was one person still alive who knew the secrets of the Travelers and what to do about them. With a sigh Nova retrieved the old grimoire from beneath her bed before venturing into the woods.

* * *

"_Hey, it's Jeremy. Leave a message."_

"Hey, Jeremy. It's me Bonnie Bennett, your girlfriend, just in case you need reminding, which I'm happy to keep doing until you call me back. So call me." She sighed heavily, then a breeze brushed by her face. She smiled when she saw her grams standing nearby. "Hey, Grams."

She smiled mournfully to her granddaughter. "I heard the Travelers did a number on you last night."

"Did you read that in the Other Side newsletter? Grams, you don't look right…"

"Something's wrong over here, Bonnie. Some of the witches think that the Travelers tried to overwhelm you so that someone could get through."

"As in come back?"

"Whoever it is, he's hiding from us; and now this place is-" There was a loud rumble and crack across the plane.

"That wasn't creepy. What's going on over here?"

"I don't know, but whatever the Travelers did and whoever managed to get through… it's got the witches worried. You need to stay away from those Vasiles; they bring trouble wherever they go. And to top it off, the worst of them has been at war with the Travelers for centuries."

Bonnie's face paled. "Saskia."

Grams nodded. "Her tale involved Silas and Qetsiyah primarily, but she resided within the Traveler community for some time. She knows who came back, I'm sure, and it's not going to end well."

* * *

"The Travelers are here," Liv explained, "and our goal is to get rid of them. But, before I put my faith in the three stooges and a Vasile back from the dead, I need to make sure that none of you are harboring a passenger."

"So, you want us to stab ourselves?" Matt deadpanned.

The blonde shrugged. "This knife is the only thing that will get rid of them."

"Again: you want us to _stab_ ourselves?"

Jeremy chuckled. "Just do it so we can get on with this."

"Says the hunter with the Traveler-proof head."

"I'll do it," Zina sighed and rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt one of those losers could get into my skull, but I'll give the witch some amusement."

"And the vampire back from the dead, who heals," Matt muttered.

"Dude, you have a magic ring that brings you back from the dead." Tyler teased. "Quit bitching."

* * *

"Well, isn't this an unexpected surprise." Saskia smiled sadistically.

Nova stared blankly at her projection she summoned. "The Travelers are here."

Her brows raised curiously. "And so you call to me. What for?"

"You know who they are; you lived among them and double crossed them as a tribe, not just Silas and Qetsiyah. They did some spell to bring their leader back last night and now he's trying to get Stefan and Elena together. What for?"

Saskia's face became gravely serious just then. "The information I can give you does not come for free, Nova."

"What the hell could you possibly want?"

"I want you to kill me."

Nova's breath caught in her throat suddenly. A gust of wind blew her slowly growing hair about her shoulders as the setting sun reflected in her emerald eyes. "Why the fuck do you want that suddenly?"

"My reasoning is none of your concern. Do you agree or not?"

"I don't even know _how_ to kill you, Saskia. Or where you are."

"When I deem the time to be correct I will give you what you need to know. For now, if you want information, you must agree. And if you fail to uphold your end of the bargain when it is time then you best prepare for a great plague."

She bit her lip then sighed. "Fine, I agree. Tell me what you know about the Travelers and what they're doing."

"Their leader is Markos. The man is a snake even worse than Silas. He knows of our clan, but not where our power and lineage was born from. He fought so hard to get that information out of me but I refused. I have no doubt he's been terrorized by our deceased on the Other Side when he was not tormenting the weaker of us. If he's bringing Stefan and Elena together with visions then there are no more doppelgangers of their line and he seeks to use their blood and power."

"To do what, though?"

She shrugged. "If I had to guess I would assume something against the witches and their magic. I advise you to tread lightly as you are one who comes from the witches' lineage while boldly residing in Mystic Falls. The Travelers were exiled against the witches; no doubt they seek vengeance and to claim dominion so they no longer have to 'travel'."

Nova's eyes widened with horror. That was it: the Travelers wanted Mystic Falls. It was home of magic - _witches'_ magic. She had to warn the others before it was too late, but she still had no idea what they could even do against the Travelers.

"_He knows of our clan, but not where our power and lineage was born from."_

Saskia smirked at the Romanian when realization sparked in her emerald eyes before vanishing in a cloud of black smoke. Nova rushed off back towards her house; she had to find Remiel's Stone.

* * *

"Mystic Falls is a beautiful town," Markos told Damon.

"Oh yeah. Picket fences, block party, uncannily high death rate." The vampire shrugged.

"You take your homes for granted."

"I'm sorry, are we walking so I don't fall asleep?"

"Two thousand years ago, Silas and Qetsiyah cast a spell for immortality. It created a schism in the Traveler community, giving rise to the witches. They tried to keep us scattered to make us forget how powerful we can be."

"And thus began the war between the Travelers and the witches, and it still rages on and on. Sorry. I just nodded off."

"The witches put a curse on us that kept us from settling down as a tribe. Whenever we've tried to gather, disaster struck- plagues, earthquakes, fire. Something inevitably wiped us out."

"Let me guess - the doppelgangers can fix this. So you found them. Now what?"

"We simply need their blood. We are not your enemy, Damon. In fact, we do share one common goal."

"Yeah? And what would that be?"

"The death of Saskia Vasile. But in order to accomplish that, I need doppelganger blood, and the truth about the Vasile lineage."

Damon scoffed. "You wanna know where the Vasiles come from? A raging psychotic fifth archangel. Good fucking luck, man."

* * *

"Tell me you have ten minutes."

Nova sat on her knees surrounded by Damon's letters over the years when he called her. "I could. What for?"

"Remember in 1960 when that woman tried to vervain me so I choked her head off and you punted it down the street?"

She chuckled lightly at the memory. "Of course I do. It was election night. We both had shut it off then. I think I might still have the shoes with blood on the tips still. Why?"

"Because her name was Maggie. Enzo's Maggie who got away. Now he thinks Stefan was in his Ripper years and he was the one to kill Maggie so he's got Stefan and Elena for revenge."

Her eyes widened with each word. "Oh fuck…" Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. She remembered the night so vividly. It wasn't even anything like Stefan's Ripper days. Part of her wanted Stefan to take the fall anyways. She had her own issues with him and, to top it off, if he died then the Travelers couldn't do what they wanted. Yet of course Damon wanted to protect his brother, and of course Nova bent to Damon's wishes.

They both hustled to the Whitmore dining house where everyone was. Damon walked in the front boldly upon hearing Enzo talk about Augustine. "Well, this is depressing. Stadium seating really necessary? These people are starting to creep me out."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say this is going to be a veiled attempt to get me to release the damn hostages. I'll even bet Nova is somewhere in the shadows."

"Nah," came the Romanian casually from behind the bar suddenly. "Right here, Brit Boy." She poured herself a glass of whiskey. "Was our entrance veiled? I'm sorry; release the fucking hostages."

"Whose side are you two on?" He exclaimed angrily.

"There are sides now?" came Damon.

"You were there with me in Augustine!" He directed at Damon. Then he turned to Nova to add, "They even got you and you got to first hand witness what your precious lover never had the bloody guts to talk about! Don't tell me you've forgotten what it was like to cling onto the one thing that kept you from feeling pain!"

Damon and Nova exchanged knowing looks. Through everything they always and still had each other. Damon knew Nova was on the outside of his cell and fought every damn day to make it back to her. He shut off his humanity and abandoned Enzo all for Nova. Even though he had still been searching for Katherine, it was the thoughts of Nova that kept him going. Even while Nova felt absolutely nothing under the sadistic care of Wes Maxfield she thought about Damon. She thought of how hard he continued to fight for her no matter how hard she fought against him. At the end of it all they still had each other. No matter what trauma and abuse they sustained, they still returned to one another. They were able to.

"Enzo," Damon began cautiously, "I get it. The prospect of seeing Maggie again was your safety line to the outside world. The one thing that kept you from shutting it off."

"There's probably a chapter in Elena's psych book about it," Nova commented.

"The thing is… I didn't know she was _your_ Maggie."

"_We_ didn't know she was your Maggie."

Enzo looked between the two of them a couple of times. "What are you two talking about?"

"She didn't tell us her name when we met. She… didn't exactly have a chance to." said Nova.

"And when exactly was that?"

Damon sighed. "November 8, 1960. I'd gotten a message at the house saying a lady wanted to buy me a drink. Naturally, I was curious and Nova was laughing her ass off."

"When he went to meet her, I followed behind just a ways." Nova continued. "We had a lot of enemies thanks to my name and the things we did."

"She said she wanted to interview me for an article she was writing for the Whitmore College Alumni Gazette. I said I spent a lot of time at Whitmore and she asked if I remembered the fire of '58. Of course I did - I caused it." He shrugged. "She said I was being 'a little glib' for the Gazette so I told her I have this switch in my brain that I can shut off and not feel anything."

"That was when she called him a monster and tried to stab him with a vervain needle that had the Augustine emblem on it. She was going to take him back. So he killed her." She crossed her arms over her chest as she boldly stared Enzo in the eye with no expression.

"How did it happen?" Enzo snarled at the raven haired Romanian. When Damon started to speak, Enzo held his hand up to silence him. He wanted to hear it from Nova.

Without so much as blinking she coldly told him, "Damon squeezed her stupid little neck until her head popped off and both parts fell to the ground. I kicked her skull down the street like a soccer ball. We came up with the idea to put her head back and make it look like Stefan's Ripper M.O. so I kicked her skull back towards her body and Damon set it right. Happy?"

Enzo's mouth was agape as he looked between the pair several times. "You killed Maggie… you even desecrated her bloody body…"

"We didn't even bat an eye. Our switches were off, Enzo." Damon explained. "We didn't do it to make your life miserable from every angle. We did it because we didn't care. It was someone trying to attack us so we fought back. You want to kill me? You wanna hate me? Do it. This is between us."

"I'll beat your ass right now if you want me to," Nova shrugged.

Enzo was still for a long moment. Memories flashed before his eyes, making his chest heavy. His eyes closed slowly.

"_Our switches were off, Enzo."_

They all realized what was happening just then. Damon rushed to his best friend and tried to shake him. Nova, however, remained where she was and sipped her whiskey. _Another one bites the dust,_ she thought as she finished the glass and walked out. Enzo was the least of her concern. Why was it such a recurring theme for vampires to be fixated on one person through their eternity? At least Nova could partially blame it on her bloodline. She took out a cigarette as she walked, lighting it up. Her mind raced with each word of each letter trying to decipher where Damon hid Remiel's Stone.

It had to be somewhere sentimental; that was the whole point of the letters. He was trying to get her to remember something, but what? As her thoughts darted to every memory across her brain, the sounds of a scuffle caught her attention instead. Walking closer she could smell gasoline leaking. Rounding the corner gave her a sight of Enzo and Stefan. Enzo had punched a vehicle causing the gas leak, and Nova watched Stefan retaliate by shoving his hand into Enzo's chest. She took a long drag of the cigarette while leaning against a telephone pole.

"My brother," Stefan started, "he sees something good in you."

"Don't you?" Enzo mocked. "Isn't there a part of you that thinks I can be redeemed?"

"Not with your emotions off. You won't stop going after Damon and Nova. And I think we all have a general idea of how Nova will handle it."

Enzo's eyes flicked behind Stefan and found the ravenette finishing her cigarette. He smirked as he looked back to Stefan. "Better yet, wouldn't it be a sweet piece of revenge when Damon finds out you killed his best friend? Have fun sorting this out with your brother when his sweetheart is right there."

With one swift shove Enzo pushed away from Stefan whose hand had been threateningly holding his heart. As Enzo shoved himself to the ground it left his heart held in Stefan's hand. Nova's cigarette butt fell to the ground just as Enzo's lifeless body did. His head turned slowly and indeed did find Nova watching him intently. Her expression was cold and blank which frightened him much more than if she showed anything.

His lip actually trembled as he dropped Enzo's heart beside his corpse. "Nova…" She remained silent and unmoving. "Nova, _please_ don't tell Damon… I-I wasn't trying to kill him. You saw that."

Finally, her head tilted to the side. Her emerald eyes were still made of ice. "But the question is: _do I care?_"

* * *

"So, that tacky little trinket of yours really can see over here."

Zina looked up slowly from the book in her lap to find Enzo. One of her brows arched. "Yes it can. Who did you in?"

"Ironically enough, Stefan. With your menace of a sister conveniently watching the whole thing."

"So you've come to see me because why?"

"Never let go of a good vendetta, darling. And this one is just getting started."


	23. Can You Tell Me It Was Worth It?

**A/N:** Oooohh ya girl got a new laptop finally! Lmao

Aside from the three month old baby this should make it easier for me to write and update LOL

Can you all tell that this season has been so painstaking for me to write? The ending is gonna be the best and it's gonna kill me to write lmfaooo

xoxo  
Kuraki-chan

* * *

23: Can You Tell Me It Was Worth It?

"What's going on here?" Nova asked casually as she strolled into the boarding house.

"I'm trying to have Luke use a locator spell to find Enzo but so far he sucks worse than his sister," Damon answered.

"Look," Luke half snapped, "I can find any person on the planet, okay? There's just something weird with your friend Enzo. I can't get a read."

Nova snickered low when she felt Stefan's panicked gaze on her back while she poured a glass of whiskey. "I thought he fucked off to Cape Horn."

"He flipped his humanity switch," the elder Salvatore spoke. "There should have been a body count all the way to the airport."

"Well… why are you looking for him?" came Stefan rather timidly though only Nova noticed.

"Gee, I don't know, Stefan. A vampire with no humanity who wants me dead for killing his girl. Hm."

Nova snickered and sauntered over to the couch nearby, tossing her feet up on the coffee table. "Maybe he was smart enough to get a witch to cloak him." She shrugged. "Does anyone really know what another person is capable of achieving?"

Stefan winced when he met Nova's taunting gaze. Damon asked Luke if a cloaking spell was possible to which he supposed it could be. "That would mean he doesn't want to be found then," the younger brother said quickly. "So, uh why don't you just drop it?"

"Yeah, _iubițel_," Nova smirked at Stefan rather than looking at her fiance, "just drop it. Like all the other mysterious disappearances in this town."

Before the conversation could be pressed any further, Tyler ran in the front door gathering everyone's attention. "We have a problem - Markos turned one of the Travelers into a vampire, had her drink doppelganger blood, and after some chanting ritual thing she turned human again."

"He cured her?" questioned Damon.

"He cured her _to death_. The blood took away her vampirism but left her in the state that she was in just before she turned."

"That state being dead," Nova rationalized. "These sons of bitches really are crafty."

"So it kills vampires," Luke shrugged. "What does the spell mean for the witches?"

"No one cares." Nova turned and flipped him a manicured middle finger.

Damon gave her a playful slap on the side of her head. Tyler rolled his eyes. "The point is they feel if they can get rid of all magic that they'll break some lame-ass witch curse."

"Markos said they can't settle anywhere without evoking earthquakes or hell fire, but they break that curse and they just move right on into Mystic Falls."

Nova stood suddenly and cracked her knuckles. "Oh well. Markos had a good week or two in the land of the living. Now, where is he so I can kill him?"

Tyler shrugged. "No idea. They were moving camp when I got out."

"Well, good news," Damon said sarcastically as he pat Luke on the back. "Our friend Luke, here, is an alleged genius at locator spells."

The witch sighed. "Travelers are always moving. They're impossible to track. They'll find Stefan and Elena long before we can find them."

"Alright, so what about a cloaking spell?" The raven haired Romanian suggested. "Is that simple enough for you? Because I think I'm out of favors with Sofia."

Luke's eyes widened suddenly. "S-Sofia Vasile?"

"Yeah, not the time," Damon cut in. "Can you do the spell or what?"

"If both doppelgangers are in the same place, yeah…"

"Perfect." He looked to Tyler. "You: avoid the entire Czech language and figure out how to find Markos."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

"Well, you have a Traveler inside of you. I mean, I have probably misplaced faith that you'll figure it out. Meanwhile," he looked to Stefan and Nova, "I guess us and Elena are gonna go on a little secret trip."

Beads of sweat formed on the back of Stefan's neck. Nova grinned toothily with mischief in her emerald eyes. "Sounds great," they both spoke in unison though in different tones.

* * *

Even after discovering that Jeremy had been helping with the Traveler problem, Bonnie just didn't feel the same. At first she was bothered because it was Liv, but there was Matt and Tyler too. She understood why she had to be kept in the dark. But then Zina came out; she had been part of the team too. Then Jeremy went back to infrequently answering his phone. She wanted to let him know that if the Other Side was destroyed then she would be too, but how could she when he wouldn't even answer the phone?

Truth be told, Jeremy found a strange interest in Zina. She had been focusing on studying more magic and, unlike Bonnie, eagerly let him join her in her world. Zina rather enjoyed having a hand while practicing. She had been teaching Jeremy more Latin and even other languages like her native Romanian, Hebrew, Arabic, and French. Together they learned about healing and poisonous herbs, and ancient spells from old Vasile grimoires and even some from Lucifer's. Jeremy made her feel so oddly human and at peace with herself.

"You never thought you could feel 'love', did you, Zina?"

She looked over her shoulder to find Oblivion while she sat in a chair reading. She gave the celestial a sorrowful smile. "I still don't know how the word feels. I never will. To feel 'love' is to have a heart in your chest."

"How could you not feel such a thing when you've made a strong enough connection to imprint on a human soul?" Zina's eyes widened suddenly. "You care quite deeply for the young Gilbert boy. You've used it to fuel your abilities rather than it causing you to sink. I find myself impressed with you, child."

She looked down at her lap with hurt in her dark eyes. "I… I _can't_ feel for him. I couldn't have imprinted on his soul; he's got Bonnie. I shouldn't even be alive, let alone considering anything romantic. Who would want to be with a girl that was risen from the dead after a century? A girl who got her heart ripped out and can never have another."

"What do you find more important, Zina - having a beating heart in your chest, or the sensation of love across your body?"

She blinked a couple of times while thinking of a response. Truthfully, she couldn't find one. It was a difficult question; could she even feel love without a heart in her chest? When she remained silent because she could not answer the question, Oblivion continued.

"You could have a heart if that was what you truly desired, but it would have to be that over love."

"Why?"

"The only heart that could fill the hole where yours laid is the heart of the one you love. Truth be told, any of you Vasiles could use it to your advantage." She shrugged. "On the brink of death? Eat your lover's heart."

Zina's eyes had widened to the max. "You've got to be joking."

"I do not joke much, if at all, child. Do you want a beating heart in your chest which will increase your power and protection, or do you want that human boy by your side?"

She stared at the celestial for a solid minute when a thought occurred to her. "But you… you said you don't have a beating heart in your chest."

"And I do not. You know my current power level; imagine if I were to take the heart of the one I love."

Zina wasn't sure if she should ask the question nagging at her, but she soon found that she couldn't stop it from coming out. "Who… who is it that you love?"

Oblivion stared long into the girl's curious, onyx eyes. At least as a psychic and her anchor she knew the well kept secret was safe with Zina Vasile. An unusually peaceful smile tugged at her lips. "A nephew of mine who did not deserve the treatment he got from my brother. In my opinion, I could have raised him far better."

Zina gulped but she tried not to make it too noticeable. She knew exactly who Oblivion cared about.

_Lucifer._

* * *

Nova was returning inside from having a cigarette (or three) when she heard Damon teasing Caroline about something. "Area 51?"

"Stop!"

"J.F.K. Assassination? What the hell is that-"

"You're ruining the game!"

"What game?" the Romanian chimed in.

"Charades. Our theme is secrets that people think they're getting away with."

Immediately a large grin spread across Nova's face. She dropped beside the blonde eagerly. "Ohh, sign me up. What have you got so far, blondie? Because I've got _years_ worth of secrets."

_She knows something's up,_ she thought mischievously. _I can almost respect you for this, blondie._

"Well, Meryl Streep, I'd love to know how we're gonna act out Watergate."

"Well, I'm sure team 'Stelena' will figure it out."

Nova burst out laughing suddenly. It was the old Nova laugh; the one that could fill a whole city and get everyone laughing with her. She even had to catch herself from falling off the couch. Caroline looked up at Damon and found him smiling at his fiance with a look of peace in his eyes. When she finally caught her breath she pat Caroline on the back. "Ah, _Stelena._ That's fucking golden."

"Well, don't you guys think that Stefan and Elena have been a little… you know?"

"No." Damon replied with a small snap. "Clearly I don't."

Caroline shifted uncomfortably under their sharp gazes. "Secretive? I caught them being all hushed and whispery at the car this morning, and now they're getting firewood out of the shed together, which apparently takes 20 minutes."

"You know," Nova drawled, "now that you mention it, they have been getting cagey anytime Enzo is brought up."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "No, no; I'm not talking about Enzo. I'm talking about Stefan and Elena."

Just then, the pair entered with the said firewood. Nova grinned toothily. "Let the games begin, shall we?"

* * *

After a painstaking intro with charades where Stefan and Elena relentlessly guessed one another's clues perfectly, Damon spoke up. "How about we switch to a fun game called 'never have I ever'? Hm?"

Nova immediately lit up and spoke over the timid protests. "Sounds fucking fantastic to me. I'll go first: never have I ever died."

"Cheers to that one." Damon smirked and they clanked their glasses together before drinking. The other three shrugged and followed suit by drinking. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad then?

"Okay, uhm… never have I ever been possessed by my evil doppelganger." Stefan said.

"Never have I ever had a gods damn doppelganger," came Nova which caused Damon and Caroline to snicker.

"Never have I ever kissed a Salvatore brother." Caroline spoke. Elena started to laugh and raised the glass to her lips. Nova also began to raise the glass, but much slower. She felt something behind the blonde's words. Just then, Caroline added, "Today."

Nova smirked while she sipped her whiskey, her eyes tauntingly on Stefan and Elena. Caroline asked if Elena was gonna drink, to which Elena asked if she was implying something. "Oh, let's be real here - no one gives a fuck if Stefan and Elena are making out anymore. We just wanna know what the fuck is going on, yeah? So how about a better one: never have I ever lied about where Enzo is." She smirked again while sipping her whiskey.

Caroline's eyes widened as she looked around at the four. "Okay… what is going on?"

"Nothing obviously, because no one else is drinking. I'm the only one who wants to follow the rules of the game."

"Oh, no," Stefan started slowly. "We understand the rules."

"So why don't you take a drink?"

"Alright," Elena stood suddenly, "this just got weird. I'm officially buzzed so I'm gonna go and get ready for bed."

When Elena vanished upstairs, Damon looked to his fiance sternly. "You wanna explain what the hell is going on?"

She shrugged. "I think your brother might be able to explain it better than me. I was just a witness so maybe I saw something wrong."

"Maybe you just didn't see anything, Nova," Stefan insisted.

Her eye twitched. Decades upon decades and Saint Stefan had to be the biggest liar she knew. So desperate to protect his image. She rose slowly as the anger boiled in her blood. "I am going to beat the holy fuck, fucking fuckety _fuck _out of you if you don't start admitting you're fucking toxic, Stefan." Her grip tightened so much on her glass that it shattered in her hand and made Stefan and Caroline visibly jump.

Before their argument could ensue any further, Elena's scream of fright tore through the cabin. Stefan went running first with the other three behind. Well, Damon had to give a shove to Nova, but they all ended up upstairs just after Stefan wrapped Elena in a towel. She had tried to take a bath to calm down when she swore someone pushed her under the water.

"Why would a ghost be targeting you?" Nova asked her mockingly.

Stefan pulled himself from the room to make a call to Bonnie quickly. It gave him and Caroline a chance to talk after in which he finally told her what happened to Enzo. In the meantime, Elena stared timidly at Damon and Nova. "Stefan was just threatening him because he tried to hurt me," she practically sobbed. "He wasn't trying to kill Enzo."

"Well, he did a great job at fucking up." Damon replied harshly. "Get dressed." He swiftly grabbed Nova's upper arm to haul her and her manic grin away. "You knew about this?"

"Thought I might get some amusement from watching him squirm because I knew. I was just having a smoke when it happened." She shrugged. "If the Other Side is falling apart then it's probably Enzo dicking with us." She commented when they met Stefan and Caroline back in the living room.

"But if Enzo wanted to kill Elena, drowning her wouldn't have worked," Caroline commented.

"Maybe he's just trying to scare us," Stefan feebly suggested.

Nova snorted. "Morons. Drowning Elena was just a distraction."

"She's right," said Damon. "He figured out a way to kill us all in one fell swoop."

The latter two vampires' eyes widened and they ran to the front door where Luke no longer sat to perform the cloaking spell. "Where's Luke?" Stefan asked with panic.

"Who knows?" came Damon. "Better find him before the Travelers find us."

* * *

"This is just… wrong." Zina shook her head. She agreed to help Jeremy find the Travelers' real bodies and, of course, they were hidden in a creepy cave. _You know what else is wrong?_ She chastised herself. _The fact that you're still hanging around Jeremy. He's got a girlfriend and here you go, coming back from the dead to be a homewrecker. Or a heart eater if I choose that path. Nova is right; our lives are a circus… _

"All of these Travelers are passengered inside of people in Mystic Falls?" Jeremy asked with bewilderment when they found the _hoard_ of bodies. "This is wrong _and_ creepy…"

Zina made a face as they began to walk through the bodies. "You said this Julian fellow has an eagle tattoo?"

Jeremy shrugged. "That's what he said." He knelt down beside someone with a tattooed arm and shined his light over it.

"I'm pretty sure that's a dove." Zina shrugged as she hovered above him.

Jeremy chuckled. "Let me guess, you know about birds too? I didn't figure you spent as much time learning on the Other Side as you did seething."

She flicked the back of his head as he stood. "I happened to learn about various birds while still alive, thank you. I rather like most of the creatures. Magpies actually have a nursery rhyme based off of them."

"A nursery rhyme about birds called 'magpies'?" He laughed.

"They're actually quite lovely birds. And yes; Ring Around the Rosie was actually about the plague."

"Well, let's hear this rhyme then since we're walking through bodies in a cave."

"_One for sorrow,  
__Two for joy,  
__Three for a girl,  
__Four for a boy,  
__Five for silver,  
__Six for gold,  
__Seven for a secret,  
__Never to be told._

_Eight for a wish,  
__Nine for a kiss,  
__Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss,  
__Eleven for health,  
__Twelve for wealth,  
__Thirteen beware it's-_"

"It's what?" Jeremy questioned when she stopped abruptly. He even bumped into her back finding her not walking any further. Had the air around them gotten colder or was it just the cave? Looking around Zina he found a strange man with sandy blonde hair and blue eyes having joined them.

"It's _the devil himself,_" the man replied with a devilish smirk. "Hello, Zina."

The ravenette's face remained unreadable. "What do you want, Lucifer? How are you here right now?"

"Well, I brought you back, didn't I? Also, you seem to be in cahoots with a relative of mine." His tone was taunting and knowing. "If you value the life I gave you back then I suggest you get out of here because Travelers are coming. You can't protect Lockwood right now."

"And you just decided out of the goodness of your heart you would come here and tell me that?"

"Oh, of course not. I'm here to make sure you don't get yourself murdered like a dumbass. And also, my darling Rya is rather unwell thanks to that mirrored Mark she got from Dean." He sneered.

"What's wrong with Zarya? Do we need to go get her?"

"No, you know as well as I do that she would only run. I was actually pondering something - since Dean loves my Rya _so_ much, perhaps it would be enough strength to protect her."

"What are you talking about…?"

He smirked again. "The same moral dilemma you seem to be having. Unless the day comes when Rya actually wants to be a dhampir, I'll do everything I can to keep it from happening. Including force feeding her Dean Winchester's heart if I have to."

In a whisp of golden smoke he vanished, leaving Zina alone with Jeremy again. Her mouth was partially open until her ears picked up the sounds of footfalls growing nearer. She hastily grabbed Jeremy's hand and took off running at a quick but human enough pace. "He was right - we were about to be ambushed," she told him as they ran through the caverns.

"What about Julian's body?" Jeremy argued.

"Forget it! Lucifer is right - we can't save Tyler right now." A drastic thought occurred to her then. "But we can soon."

"What are you talking about? And what the hell was Lucifer talking about; making Zarya eat Dean's heart because he loves her?"

Zina didn't answer until they were back outside and away from any Travelers. She kept her back to him, not wanting to answer at all. "If a Vasile eats the heart of someone she loves then she will be protected from Death and at her maximum strength. For how long, I don't know."

Jeremy was appalled. "So you're all destined - fated - to fall in love with someone, and then given the opportunity to kill that one person to evade Death for a questionable amount of time?" She nodded solemnly. They were silent for a minute before he spoke again. "Well, we know most of them. What about you? Do you know who your fated love is?"

"No," she lied as her eyes closed to shut away the tears threatening to escape. "And now that I've been resurrected without a heart I never will."


	24. Cherish Everything That You Love

**A/N:** At long last I'm finally about to wrap up _Devil in Me_ and the first half of _Dark Paradise_! It was literally like pulling teeth to finish season 5 of TVD I swear lmao

The next chapters are the finales!

xoxo  
Kuraki-chan

* * *

24: Cherish Everything That You Love.

"Rise and shine, asshat."

Damon and Nova stood over one of the Travelers tied to a chair at the boarding house. While they had been dealing with Enzo's spirit nearly killing them, someone snatched up Stefan and Elena. Nova tossed a glass of water in the man's face after Damon grabbed his ID tag on his shirt. As he started to come to, he realized he was bound and tried to speak which let him know his mouth was duct taped shut.

"Oops, sorry about that Mr…" He glanced down at the ID. "Sikes: head of corporate accounts. Yeah, can't have you mumbling any of those traveler ditties. It's a sure migraine."

Nova grabbed another chair and spun it around to sit backwards across from Mr. Sikes. "Listen, here's the deal - his idiot brother and my clueless progeny have both been kidnapped by travelers and we can't seem to find them anywhere. I mean, like, _poof_, gone. We had to tend to a spirit with a grudge and they can't handle themselves for fifteen fucking minutes."

"And now aside from a completely clueless hybrid in my basement," Damon continued, "and a cave full of sleeping Travelers, I've got nothing to go on except you. So we're going to need you to tell us where we can find your leader, Markos."

When the Traveler only told them it didn't matter, Nova sighed and went outside for a smoke. After she had taken a long drag to light it, Damon joined her. He swiped the cigarette from her fingers to drag it himself before giving it back. "So, did you really mean it about bringing Enzo back?" She handed him the cigarette after another few drags.

He took it and inhaled before answering. "Markos found his way back. It's not impossible unless you want him terrorizing us for the rest of eternity."

She shrugged. "Enzo is the least of my concern in the living. It's the Travelers that need to go."

"And how do you propose we accomplish that, _dolcezza_?"

"I have a couple of ideas, but you're not going to like them."

Slowly, his eyes moved onto her. She was right - he already didn't like it. "Well, you've already been playing around with dark magic with Zina so go ahead and lay it on me."

"Blood for blood, right? The Travelers did that massive spell killing them all so their one powerful leader could return. Bonnie died so Jeremy could return. Katia died because Zina was resurrected. The veil is already thinning onto the Other Side. The Travelers want to collapse it; smash it to pieces. But if we can give it enough strength through some high level deaths…"

"And just how would you think of accomplishing any of that? Who would you _try_ to kill and perform the spell?"

"It has to be a trinity each way - three dead, three in the circle."

"Alright, where the hell are you getting any of this?"

She shrugged again. "Zina and I may have been doing some light reading recently. There's people over there who shouldn't be and people here who shouldn't be. We're just looking to fix the problem."

Damon sat down, pinching the bridge of his nose after his call with Stefan when a whittled peace of wood went flying into his abdomen. He groaned loudly and called for Zina. The ravenette bounded down the stairs hastily and frowned when she saw Enzo. She rolled her eyes. "He says you promised to bring him back."

"Ah, you're paraphrasing." said Enzo. "He said, quote, 'I will find a way'."

She shook her head. "Whatever."

"Hey!" Shouted Damon. "Still here. And I know what I said."

"Remind him that he doesn't have a very good track record for keeping promises."

"Please stop talking."

"The other side is on the brink of collapse. I plan on pestering all of you until I'm safely returned to the land of the living."

Zina cut her eyes at Damon. "You need to fix this rather quickly. I'm getting sick of getting harassed by ghosts, let alone obnoxious ones."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I've got two missing doppelgängers; I've got a traveler that wants to rid our town of magic; and I've got the friendly banker, Mr. Sikes, in the coat closet. So your escape from the netherworld is going to have to wait till tomorrow."

Zina sighed when Enzo got angry and tossed an alcohol bottle into the fireplace. "I think he wants to be penciled in for today."

He opened his mouth to say something when an idea struck him. "Liv is cooking up a spell to pull Bonnie back from the Other Side before it goes 'kaboom'." Neither of them noticed Zina's force to hide her disdain. "So whatever happens with that, they can just include Enzo in it."

She made a face. "That's not quite how it works, Damon. It's-"

"Blood for blood, yeah I know. So if we can take out, like, a fuck ton of Travelers, then we can bring back whoever we want, right?"

She scratched the back of her head. "I mean, I guess? It would be more like whoever you can get through the veil before it closes entirely. The Other Side is kind of a reflection of our world, just for the dead with magic in their blood. You literally have to go around and find everyone you want. And if you don't make it before the door closes then you're there for the 'kaboom'."

"Then I guess we're going to need all hands on deck, huh?"

* * *

Nova was back at the letters from Damon when her phone rang. She glanced at the screen, frowning at the unfamiliar number. Before she could even say 'hello', Zarya's voice greeted her. "New number must mean you're ditching at least one or both of the Winchesters," the Romanian drawled. "I'm unfortunately going to need you to make this quick, kiddo. Shit is about to hit the fan in Mystic Falls."

"That's fine, I have things to do. I just needed to know if you got that address for the Styne's."

"Of course - the plate you gave me is registered to Eldon Styne out of Shreveport, but no physical address. Best I've got for you, kid."

"That's plenty of help. Thank you, Nova. Don't get yourselves killed dealing with those Travelers and maybe after I do this I'll swing back up a little north and help you myself."

The call ended abruptly, causing Nova to chuckle. That kid was always getting herself into something. It gave her some kind of fucked up hope for the future of the Vasiles. She stared endlessly at each letter opened on the floor around her. Why did Markos need to know about the Vasiles? Was he afraid of them for some reason? The only thing that came to mind was their tie to Oblivion which allotted them some form of magic. Even creatures of the night could do magic but Travelers couldn't settle down with theirs. Then what about Remiel's Stone could affect them, especially Markos?

_Abjuration,_ she realized with widened eyes. With enough power, Mystic Falls' magic could be protected and the Travelers' negated. She closed her eyes as she sat on her floor on her knees surrounded by Damon's letters. Everything felt like it slowed down until she could clearly hear only the slow sound of her faint heartbeat. Nova _needed_ to find Remiel's Stone.

* * *

"Enzo's not around right this second," Zina snapped quickly when she ran into Damon. "Thank the gods."

He rolled his eyes. "Right this second I actually need you, Zina. I need to have a word with someone."

"It doesn't work like that, Damon. I don't just summon ghosts with my br-"

"I need to talk to Lucifer."

Her eyes widened and a chill ran down her spine. "_Why?_"

"Because if all of this goes bad, I need to know Nova will be protected at the end of it."

"Damon… you don't just ask Lucifer to do something and he goes, 'Yeah! No problem!' No. If you want something like that, then you'll need something just as hefty to offer in return. Are you willing to sacrifice something just to ensure my sister lives when she might not be in any peril at all?"

Damon smiled mournfully. "Knowing your sister, she'll put herself in some kind of peril. So, yes, I'm willing to sacrifice anything to make sure that she lives."

Zina stared up at him. She couldn't believe the lengths Damon was willing to go just for Nova. It was something she always dreamed of for herself. After a minute, she let out a sigh. "You're all fucking insane here. Fine, come on."

She begrudgingly led him upstairs to her room and took out the things she needed for her spell. When at first nothing happened, Damon opened his mouth to comment. Zina immediately held up a finger to silence him before he even made a noise. Just moments after, the archangel appeared in the circle with them. He smirked and raised a brow with curiosity. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Zina?"

She jerked her thumb towards Damon. "Dummy over here wants a favor from you."

Lucifer's gaze shifted slowly to Damon. "What could I possibly do for you, Mr. Salvatore?"

Damon's expression remained calm and firm. "Shit's about to hit the fan around here. I need to know that at the end of it Nova will be protected and alive."

"Oh, isn't that just so sweet." He chuckled. "I can't say I'm surprised to see the both of you having imprinted on one another. I think you two might be the only two to have and know their eternal mate in the whole clan. I mean, there's Daciana and Klaus, but those Mikaelsons are something else, aren't they?"

The two raven haired vampires stared blankly at Lucifer. Damon cleared his throat. "So… will you do it?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

Zina gaped at him. "That's it?"

"What more is there supposed to be? Do you think I want Nova Vasile dead? Especially when the Other Side is about to be totally shattered? I brought you back so I could have the pair. I'm not just gonna let one go."

"You also don't do things for free usually either."

"Oh, right, that." He shrugged again. "Everything's about to be fucked, isn't it? Ah, alright. Well, first off, I can only protect a Vasile. So if it comes down to you or her then only she gets to live."

"That's fine, I don't care."

Another shrug from the archangel. "Alright then. How about… when Zarya comes running to Mystic Falls, give her the same protection."

Zina elbowed Damon before he could ask some stupid question. He grunted from the force. "Deal… deal. Zarya is protected in Mystic Falls."

* * *

_September 9, 2009_

_Dear Nova,_

_I got to personally meet this Elena today. Gave her such a startle that if there are other vampires in the vicinity, they totally heard her heartbeat freaking out. If you would have come up behind her it would have been perfection. She might have actually had had a heart attack right there. But only half of the act isn't quite as breathtaking._

_Stefan tried compelling Vicki Donovan today. She's one of Elena's classmates I attacked at this party in the woods the other night. I left her alive in the hopes of taunting Stefan. Naturally he had to do something to ensure the safety of the town against his monster of a brother so his animal blood drinking self tried to top what I did to her. I almost had him, but if she went screaming 'Stefan Salvatore is a vampire' and the town staked him, there goes our eternity of misery. He came up with it like he wants to be tortured for an eternity. You probably would have thought up something much more exuberant but obvious. We have to be subtle in Mystic Falls. For now at least._

_Maybe one day we'll see something different. Together._

_Love, Damon_

Nova was beginning to go mad reading every letter. Damon put in so much detail that it was like she had been there with him the whole time. Thinking back on the years she had ran from him, she regret it. Her life had been dull and meaningless without Damon. There was no light or shimmer left.

_November 1, 2009_

_Darling Nova,_

_I'm sure you spitefully remember well what today is. To start off, I was correct - Vicki barely made it to Halloween night. She lost her shit and Stefan actually had to stake her. It was pretty priceless. More of a present for us for his birthday today._

_Do you remember Lexi Branson? Of course she just had to pop in and try to keep Saint Stefan on his righteous path. I know it was my screw up that pushed you away, but why should Stefan still get his best friend when I can't have mine? Don't worry dolcezza, I have a grand master plan that will get under Stefan's nerves wonderfully._

_Love, Damon_

She rubbed her face. Time was ticking. She had ignored everyone all day to sort out the damn letters. If there was any hope against the Travelers, and against anything, then she needed to find where Damon hid Remiel's Stone. If there wasn't such a time constraint then she could honestly sit there and read his letters all day. They amused her so deeply she hadn't realized how long she had been smiling. As her left hand grazed over some of the papers, her engagement ring caught her eye. It shimmered delicately under the light of the bedroom. For some reason, her eyes trailed over to her right hand which had not a single ring on any of her slender fingers.

_September 30, 2009_

_Sweet Nova,_

_I would have loved to continue saving the honor of finally putting Stefan out of his misery once and for all, but I'm not going to have the chance to because the next time I see him I'm going to rip his beating heart out of his fucking chest. He tricks me at the Founder's Party using Caroline and I get locked in a basement cell that apparently exists in the boarding house. Luckily I was still strong enough to pull Caroline towards here and break me out (finally fucking killed Zach too) but guess what that son of a bitch Stefan did? He took my fucking ring! _

_So here I am, sitting in the goddamn dark, cussing on a piece of paper that will never get read. You've really driven me insane, you know that? I have thought about giving all of this up, my entire quest in finding Katherine, but you know damn well that would never satisfy either of us. _

_I could find you in seconds, Nova. Seconds. I could call or find you and tell you I'm coming because I've abandoned my 150 year search. We would both be thrilled but the second we saw each other we would both have questions for the rest of the eternity. I know how much you hate Katherine. I should have told you from the start. You might have been willing to help then if it meant killing her for good at the end. I know you're not satisfied thinking she's dessicating in a tomb under a church. And I'm sure by now both of us are wondering if she's even there, but she has to be Nova. She just does. And when I know that is true I will find you. _

_We can see if finally killing Katherine is the problem we needed to solve._

_Love, Damon_

Nova's mind was running past its maximum speed when something randomly clicked. It was 1897. By sheer chance they ran into Bram Stoker of all people just after the release of _Dracula_. Nova had been strangely obsessed with the novel which Damon took great joy in humoring. Suddenly she flashed forward to 1994 and recalled leaving behind a ring Damon had given her - a silver so dark it looked black with the most glorious emeralds. He had given it to her after they left meeting Bram Stoker with the promise to always make her smile. She abandoned it when she found out he was looking for Katherine because she could no longer be happy. A tear actually slid from her right eye and down her cheek until it splashed off of one of the letters.

Nova leapt to her feet and sped out of her home towards the boarding house. She blatantly ignored Markos inside with Damon as she darted straight for Damon's room upstairs. Damon assured Markos he had no idea what she was doing; nobody had heard from her all day. There was a loud crash which sent them rushing up the stairs. Books had been tossed about except for one in Nova's hands - Bram Stoker's _Dracula_.

"What exactly do you hope to do with that?" Markos practically laughed at her. "Like I said; this spell will continue to unravel spirit magic as it spreads, which means you're not long for this world."

Nova looked to Damon with panic. "What's he talking about?"

Damon returned the same expression, ignoring the utter confusion about what she was doing. "They already started the spell."

"The sun's about to set," Markos told them with a smile. "Feel free to buy yourself a little time to say your goodbyes. You might be able to outrun the spell for a little while." He shrugged.

Without another question, the couple took off running into the woods. Nova held firmly to the book which Damon had yet to see which it was. They ran side by side until they made it to the road just as a vehicle pulled up - Jeremy in his truck with Zina in the passenger's seat. "Just in time then," the psychic smiled softly.

"Get in," said Jeremy.

Once they were safely inside and speeding away from Mystic Falls, Damon finally saw that the book on Nova's lap was _Dracula_. He smiled. "You read all of the letters."

She returned the smile before opening the book to the middle with the cut out. Inside laid a black velvet box, and Remiel's Stone. She laid the stone back in the hole while she took out the box. As soon as it opened the emerald ring shimmered against the setting sun. "You wrote to me every single day. Since the day I stepped foot in Mystic Falls you have been there for me, with me, even when we were not near one another. We've spent so damn long together…" She picked up the ring and slid it on her right ring finger. "I have far more happy memories with you than bad ones. Thank you, _iubițel_."

Zina stared out the passenger window blankly. She was deeply thankful that her sister was in a much better place than when she first arrived, but she couldn't help but feel so horribly empty. There wasn't even an ache in her chest as there was no heart to ache. She couldn't believe that she somehow fell for Jeremy Gilbert. Leave it to her to pick someone who is already in a committed relationship with someone relatively of his own species. A dark part of her hoped that something _would_ go wrong and it would be Bonnie to fall with the Other Side. She still wouldn't try to romance Jeremy at all, but at least she wouldn't have to see Bonnie ever again.

Beside her while she believed he was completely oblivious, Jeremy knew how much it hurt Zina to hear her sister so happy with the love of her life. He honestly wasn't sure if he wanted to believe her when she told him that she would never know her true love. Something in his gut told him that she did know. Was she ashamed to say it? Was it someone she lost in the past? Is it someone she can't have in the present?

_You, dumbass,_ his mind told him suddenly.

Slowly, his eyes slid onto Zina. He watched her stare out the window while spinning her bracelet absentmindedly around her wrist. While he continued to stare at the road he realized he hadn't actually checked in with Bonnie in a while. Had he been spending too much time with Zina? He really hadn't even noticed. For some reason his hunter's instinct to kill vampires was null around her. Once everything with the Travelers was over he was going to have to sort some things out.


	25. But I Wish I Was Dead

**A/N: **At long last, the season 5 finale! Lmfaooo

This finale has always killed me inside. The night it aired and I watched it for the first time I was a disgusting, sobbing mess LOLOL  
And unfortunately it was the best part for me to write lmao

Thank you so much to everyone who has followed this story/series. It means a lot to me. You're all awesome.  
Stay tuned for the second half which will take place in season 6!

xoxo  
Kuraki-chan

* * *

25: But I Wish I Was Dead.

"I know we loathed each other, but this isn't exactly what I had in mind…" Nova spoke quietly as she stared down at Stefan's dessicated corpse on a couch at Whitmore. Elena was sobbing; Damon was enraged.

"I didn't know where to bring him," cried Caroline. "I couldn't just leave him outside…"

"Bonnie has a plan, right?" Elena sputtered through her crying. "She- she said that she could bring people back. Tell me that she can bring him back!"

Nova looked to Damon and found pain in his eyes. There had been a way, but it must have been ruined somehow. "We'll bring him back." He told her. "Come on, let's get away from prying eyes."

* * *

Once Stefan was safely in Elena's dorm room, Zina, Nova, Damon, Jeremy, and Matt found an empty classroom to occupy. Nova sat down at one of the front row desks with _Dracula_ still clutched tightly in her hands. Finally she opened it and revealed Remiel's stone in the middle. Zina's eyes widened immediately. "How the actual hell…?"

"I can fix this," Nova told them firmly. There was a newfound light and fire to her emerald eyes. She looked to Zina and smiled softly. "_We_ can fix this. Can you even think about what we can do with our links to Oblivion _and_ Remiel's Stone?"

"We would need a third Vasile who's also linked to Oblivion though. It always has to be the power of three for a full circle."

Nova shrugged. "Take your pick then. While Liv is holding the door open through Bon-Bon's hand we three Vasiles can connect to the three planes to keep the Other Side stable enough so long as Liv keeps the door open."

"Well that automatically ships Zina to Oblivion," Damon commented with a smirk at the younger sister.

She rolled her eyes. "Unfortunately the baboon is correct. We then would need you tethered to either the Other Side or our plane and someone else for the other."

"What about Katia?" Jeremy suggested. "She's already on the Other Side."

"It has to be someone here currently because someone on the Other Side is essentially floating energy. There's nowhere they're rooted to so they can't connect anywhere."

"So we'll get Sofia or Daciana to link them to our plane and I'll go to the Other Side." said Nova.

"Absolutely not," Damon immediately rejected.

"Why not? I know the Other Side - I've been there. It might not have been long but at least I've been there."

"You'd risk being trapped on the Other Side and wiped out of existence just for some of our lost people?" Matt questioned hesitantly.

Nova stood slowly after closing the book with the stone inside. Matt jumped at first, even took a preemptive step backwards, but she merely walked calmly around the desk to sit on it. "When I wasn't being controlled to be a good girl, I was fucking off and doing whatever I wanted without reason. This town might honestly suck some serious sack sometimes, but it's my home. It's home to all of us. It, and all of you ridiculous little creatures among it, have given me a reason to do things. Good things." She smiled. "I'll fight for my home."

Damon was the first to smile with pride and joy. Jeremy took up second but even stepped forward to give the vampire a hug. "Welcome back, Nova."

"Alright, alright," Zina chimed in, "next order of business: mass murder. If you guys want to bring back this ever growing list of people then we're going to need balance with just as many Travelers at least."

Damon shrugged. "There's a major gas line that runs underneath the town. Now if it did leak, it could be deadly, as in massive explosion kind of deadly."

"We can't blow up our hometown," Matt argued.

"Says one of the only people left in this group who can actually live there."

"We would just need to get the Travelers in one spot in town and blow them to high Hell," said Nova.

"How?" Zina quipped. "We can't lure anyone being stuck out here."

"There's Sheriff Forbes," Jeremy suggested with a shrug. "She could convince them to gather somewhere inside, Matt and I turn on the gas-"

"Then what, genius?" said Damon. "How and where is gonna get blown up?"

All of them were quiet for a good couple of minutes before Nova spoke up. "The Grill," she offered. "We blow up the Grill by driving right into it."

"You're gonna drive your precious Firebird into the Grill?" Zina scoffed.

Before Nova could retort with something, Damon's voice came. "No. We're gonna use my Camaro."

* * *

"Nova," Zina called. They had gone to the cafe, but before they even made it out of the parking lot Saskia appeared.

Nova immediately whipped out her daggers when she turned and saw Saskia. She, however, laughed at the gesture. "Go ahead and try. Even in my feeble state I could prevent you from harming me before making my escape."

"What the hell are you doing here then?"

"I have come to offer my assistance to you both." She smiled deviously. "I know the spell you plan on doing. You can link me to the land of the living."

Zina made a face. "What do you get out of it?"

"We all get something in the end, really. You see, Bonnie has been in need of a Traveler to teach her the spell to bring everyone back. It just so happens that Silas is the only one there. My magic will counteract his and feed into the destruction of the Other Side. After using as much of my power as I will be…" She shrugged nonchalantly. "It will most likely consume what is left of my life."

The twins blinked a few times. They were both flabbergasted. "What the fuck makes you want to die _now_?" Nova practically shouted.

Saskia smirked which nearly sent a chill down their spines. "Fate has caught up to me at last I suppose."

Nova and Zina looked to one another with distress. It unfortunately was everything they both wanted - Silas gone for good, Saskia gone for good, Bonnie gone for good (Nova knew how much it meant to Zina), and those they loved having returned; like Katia. They knew it more than likely was going to backfire in the long run, but what other choice did they have?

* * *

Nova ran her fingers delicately across the shining hood of the light blue Camaro. She remembered the day Damon bought it. She remembered every race against her Firebird. She remembered every single adventure. "I can't believe we're about to blow this beauty to smithereens," she commented quietly when she heard Damon join her.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the top of her head. "Maybe we'll be able to fix it if we make it out of this mess."

"You realize our wedding is totally postponed, right?" She laughed a little.

"Mm, it doesn't have to be. You know, provided this doesn't go horribly wrong."

"So you want me to blow up the Grill, rescue everyone - including ourselves, and come back in time for a wedding? You know what? If we actually succeed then you've got yourself a deal. The very next day we can get married if you want."

He chuckled and kissed her, savoring every second and feeling. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his gut. Something was going to go wrong. He couldn't begin to know what was going to go wrong, but something was going to. "We should be able to bring back a decent amount of people if we do this right. Are you gonna save some Vasiles over there aside from Katia?"

"I'd like to find Siya, for Zarya, and me and Zina's mother at least. Zarya has been dealing with a lot. I think her mother could really help her."

Even if it did all fall apart, Damon was so thankful to know that Nova was intact again. All he wanted was for her heart and humanity to heal. He was ready for the worst knowing that. Including working with Saskia. He knew that at the end of it, no matter what, Nova would live.

* * *

"It's back," Enzo called to Silas and Bonnie as the wind began to howl again.

"She's ready," said Silas as they emerged. "Let's get on with it."

Someone ran through suddenly, surprising them all. Bonnie's eyes widened when she recognized the girl. "Katia?"

The dhampir looked at them with panicked eyes. "Siya," she panted. "Tell me one of you have seen Siya Vasile _anywhere_."

"What's she matter?" questioned Enzo.

"She matters a lot more than you know, dick," Katia snapped back. "I've been looking everywhere for her even before this place started to collapse."

Silas shrugged. "She's probably been sucked into never-never land by now then. Sorry not sorry, kid."

Suddenly, Enzo was grabbed by the storm. As he was yanked away, Katia grabbed his arm. With her free hand she grabbed tightly to one of the wrought iron posts in the cemetery. Bonnie rushed over and helped hold Katia and Enzo down against the storm when Silas started to get dragged through. Bonnie reached at least a little for him before smiling in his face. "Bygones," she shrugged. They all watched as Silas got sucked away into the darkness.

Once the three were safe again, Enzo cleared his throat. "Alright, so this Siya."

* * *

Nobody liked the idea of Saskia helping, but being strapped for time no one had a choice. As Liv and Bonnie started the spell to open the door, the Vasile trio started theirs just outside the town line. Once it was linked, Zina took Remiel's Stone and Nova got in the Camaro with Damon. "After we cross that line," he told her, "it'll be like dying all over again in that river."

She nodded and put her hand on top of his that laid on the gear shift. "I know. I'm ready. Let's do this, _iubițel_."

The Camaro roared as it zoomed down the empty road. Damon started to cough with an ache in his abdomen. Nova began coughing so violently it was increasingly difficult to breathe. "Hang on, _dolcezza,_" he told her. "We have to die while we're still vampires."

She nodded quickly. "I know." She coughed again and water began spewing. The gas pedal was pressed to the floor as the odometer began to max out. The couple looked to one another with desperacy in their eyes. "Damon…"

He smiled and squeezed her hand. "I know."

Closer and closer the Grill came until the nose of the Camaro was through with a massive bang. Glass shattered and the gas leak caused an enormous explosion. There was nothing left of the Grill or anyone inside except for char and burned remains.

* * *

Zina stood at the border of Mystic Falls alone with Saskia. She could feel the strange disconnection when Nova must have died in the explosion. She despised how Saskia just stood there with a disturbing smile. The older woman was up to something, she made it abundantly obvious. What could Saskia possibly be about to accomplish if doing the spell was going to take the rest of her life? If it was true, then something was going to happen when she died. It was like her death would be a dead man's switch to something catastrophic. It was too difficult to try and guess what Saskia could be up to; the results were limitless with what little they actually knew about her or what she's been doing.

"How does it feel to be alive again after over a century?" Saskia asked casually.

"Glorious. I'm not looking to have any kind of casual conversation with you. You're a deranged menace."

"Oh how you wound my heart, Zina. You know, the organ that beats inside of my chest; the one you happen to lack, do you not?"

She cut her eyes at Saskia. "That's hardly any of your concern. Besides, do you even have a beating heart in your chest? We were all certain it shriveled up centuries ago."

Saskia chuckled. "No, darling, not my heart. That was my soul. I abandoned that for black magic."

Zina's eyes widened. "_Black_ magic? No. Not even you're that stupid."

"It isn't stupid if you can harness it." Her hand shot out suddenly, an invisible force choking Zina and lifting her off the ground. Saskia's eyes bled entirely black with black magic. "For a psychic, you sure have no idea of the events about to come. What you are allowed to witness are things that _could_ be; scenarios you could change if possible. The things I have seen are events that _will_ be. They are fixed points in the future that will happen no matter the path before it. Now, if you don't mind, I will be taking my mother's stone so I can finish one more thing."

Through the lack of air Zina smirked. Her fingers uncurled and allowed the stone in her hand to fall to the ground. When it finally stopped rolling in front of Saskia's feet she was able to see that it was a fake - no more than an average rock that had been skillfully kept out of her view. She looked up with rage at the Romanian vampire before letting her drop to the ground.

"Where is the real stone?!" She bellowed so loud it shook the trees.

Zina chuckled as she got back to her feet. "Oh, it's long gone. An object with that amount of power will be sought after by each and every one of us whether we think we desire to or not. So it went with Nova. It got stripped of any magic when it went across the border which should have allowed it to explode in the fire."

In a fit of rage, Saskia lashed out at the Romanian with a wall of black magic smoke. Zina went flying backwards and into the woods. She quickly picked herself up knowing Saskia wasn't about to give her any slack. With lightning at her fingertips and irises bright red, she ran forward to fight back.

* * *

"You're ingenious idiots," Katia greeted Nova and Damon on the Other Side in the Grill. Alaric was beside her with a disapproving smile.

"Yeah, we know." Nova replied. "But we don't have a lot of time. Everyone that's going needs to be rounded up right this second."

"We haven't been able to locate Siya at all," Alaric told them.

"Who do we have?" asked Damon.

"Enzo, Tyler, Luke, Nessa, and Clara."

"What about Stefan?"

Suddenly, the front door burst open with Lexi and Stefan rushing in. "Present!" The blonde vampire grinned.

"What about… my mom, by chance?" Nova asked.

Katia smiled. "She's with Anja and Valora trying to give those who deserve it a little more time and kicking the real douche bags into oblivion." Her smile turned into a frown. "She… she's not coming back, Nova. But I've been trying to find Siya since I got here and I can't."

"Are we sure she's still over here?" Damon asked.

"If she was alive she would have found Zarya, no questions asked," Nova replied instantly. "She would have to be on a different plane if she wasn't here."

Everyone was silent for a moment, pondering the possibility of that. "We don't have time," Damon spoke, breaking the silence. "We tried. We have to go now."

The six of them went running through the storm straight for the crypts with Nova and Damon taking the rear. While she was mid-run, a wooden stake went flying into the back of her thigh. The instant, immense pain dropped her right to the ground. Damon skid to a stop beside her and yanked out the stake. Before them stood Lena Vasile.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," Nova groaned.

"You honestly think I'm letting you make it back safe and sound?" Lena hissed venomously. "No. No. If this place is falling to bits then you deserve to go with it and I'm gonna see to it that you do."

An arrow flew past them, lodging deep into Lena's shoulder. Alaric approached with a bow in hand. "We really don't have the time for this. Katia, Lexi, and Stefan continued ahead. We need to go."

Lena snarled as she ripped the arrow from her shoulder. "She had no reason to kill me and my husband and traumatize our daughter! She does not deserve to walk back over and live!"

"I'll kill you again right now if that's what you really want." Nova shrugged.

As Stefan, Lexi, and Katia made it to Bonnie they looked back to see if the other three were behind. "You need to go now, sweetheart," Lexi told the dhampir when there was no sight of the rest of them.

She took one last look back and sighed. "I know I do." With a nod to the Bennett witch, Katia took her hand and returned to the living. Before anyone could say even a word to her, she took off. Lexi and Stefan waited still for Damon, Alaric, and Nova. Bonnie had begun to bleed from her nose. She tried to assure them she was okay until she got dizzy and started to fall. Without even thinking, Stefan tried to grab her before she fell which sent him back as well.

"You should go too," Bonnie urged the blonde vampire.

She smiled and shook her head. "Not before the other three. Just hang on a little bit longer, okay, Bonnie? I'm gonna go make sure they get here, I promise."

She sped right off and found the trio locked with Lena. Using her speed and advantage of being unseen, Lexi tackled Lena. The ravenette struggled so they still stood, but Lexi had her in a chokehold. The wind came blowing through again fiercely, so Lexi swiftly whipped Lena right into it. However, it didn't go away after just Lena. Lexi smiled at the three before her. "You guys need to get home and hurry." She turned to the dark sky with her arms wide open and a bright smile on her face. "You're not going to get me." The violent wind stopped suddenly and a warm light overcame Lexi until she vanished.

Once Damon, Nova, and Alaric made it to Bonnie, the raven haired vampires immediately shoved Alaric forward first. After he was safely among the living again, Bonnie smiled and held her hands out to the couple. "Time to go home, guys."

They gave one quick smile at one another as they reached for Bonnie's hands. However, when they made contact, nothing happened. Nothing changed. Nova collapsed to the ground suddenly as the wind was knocked out of her. Panic flooded her veins. "Both ends of our spells collapsed…" She realized. "We're trapped here with nothing keeping the already bad collapse at bay…"

They were silent for a long moment, just looking around at one another while the wind picked up around them. Nova's hair that had finally begun to reach the middle of her back whirled around her face. Damon took her hand and gave it a squeeze. There was an unusually sad smile on his face that Nova didn't understand. "Then I guess this is it. Time for that Ace up my sleeve."

"What are you talking about?"

"_Lucifer!_"

Nova and Bonnie's eyes widened. "Damon, what have you done?" the Romanian spoke with haste. "What's going on?"

Through the storm a golden fog broke through with the archangel stepping through. "Oh, let's be real here, Nova - we all knew this was going right to shit eventually. Don't pretend like you were all going to walk out of here unscathed."

"So what are you doing here? Why the fuck did my fiance call for you?"

"He made sure that _you_ walked out of here unscathed. And before you even start blubbering: I can only bring back a Vasile, and there isn't a lot of time so you're going… mm, now."

Without warning or a care in the world, he just grabbed her and started hauling her away. She kicked around like a child, screaming with tears running down her face. Damon blew her a kiss with a broken smile. Bonnie stared with her jaw dropped in sheer astonishment. Nova thrashed around hopelessly against Lucifer as she cursed in both Romanian and English, screaming and begging for Damon and to be left there with them.

"_Please, no!"_ She cried so loud her throat was going raw. "_I can't go back without you, Damon! Please don't make me!"_

It shattered his heart to watch her be hauled away but he knew it had to be done. After they were gone, Bonnie looked to him with her flabbergasted expression. "I can't believe you did that… You're never gonna see her again; you didn't want to just die together…?"

Damon still stared after where Nova had been as the storm raged around them. "She just got her humanity back; she's made a life for herself at last. Hell, she even has a whole family she never knew about. I wasn't going to let her waste that away just for me no matter how much I love her."

Bonnie looked up at him with a newfound admiration. She never really noticed it before, given all of Damon's bad qualities, but he really did go out on every little limb for Nova Vasile. She grabbed his hand reassuringly and they watched as everything fell apart around them.

_I will always love you, Nova Vasile. Through eternity._

* * *

Nova fell to her knees when she returned through the veil. Her eyes were wide and glistening with tears waiting to fall. No one around her spoke or so much as moved. They all knew what just happened; Damon and Bonnie weren't coming back. Nova got her humanity back just to lose the love of her life. Her lip trembled as the harsh reality set in sharply. Her mind was blank; thoughtless. Inside of her chest her heart pounded as fast as it possibly could. A few tears finally broke through and she let out the most painful wail anyone had ever heard. It was so broken that the sound resonated through the forest and into Mystic Falls. The pain of losing her imprinted soulmate was so great that the sound broke through to even Heaven and Hell alike.

She felt like her beating heart had been ripped from her chest. Personally, she would have rathered that it had been. The world around her spun. What even was reality for Nova anymore? She had _just_ regained her humanity at long last. Would she throw it all away and shut it back off? What would Nova be like without Damon at all? As the question prompted various scenarios for everyone around, most of them wanted to take off and run before she could pull herself together. Suddenly, through the trees, Clara stepped timidly. She walked over to Nova and dropped to her knees before the Romanian, wrapping her arms around her. Nova didn't even budge as the dhampir embraced her. She was hollow; dead inside.

"I am sorry for those of us who delayed yours and Damon's safe return home," Clara spoke softly to Nova. "Our lives caused the loss of his."

There was a dark deadness to Nova's emerald eyes that stirred with vengeance at the dhampir's words. She was right - rescuing so many extended their time and wore vastly at Bonnie's strength.

Some people would just have to pay then.

_**\- End -**_


	26. Lyric Chapter Titles

p style="text-align: center;"01: Painted Smile - Madame Macabre/p  
p style="text-align: center;"02: In the Dark - Flyleaf/p  
p style="text-align: center;"03: Walk Through Fire - Zayde Wolf/p  
p style="text-align: center;"04: Spin You Around - Puddle of Mudd/p  
p style="text-align: center;"05: Sick - Evanescence/p  
p style="text-align: center;"06: Heavy - Halestorm/p  
p style="text-align: center;"07: Wicked Ones - Dorothy/p  
p style="text-align: center;"08: Enemies - Shinedown/p  
p style="text-align: center;"09: Madness - Ruelle/p  
p style="text-align: center;"10: Be Good to Me - Ashley Tisdale/p  
p style="text-align: center;"11: Angels Fall - Breaking Benjamin/p  
p style="text-align: center;"12: Painted Smile - Madame Macabre/p  
p style="text-align: center;"13: Blood Countess - Karliene/p  
p style="text-align: center;"14: Black Magic - Digital Daggers/p  
p style="text-align: center;"15: Madness - Ruelle/p  
p style="text-align: center;"16: So Cold - Breaking Benjamin/p  
p style="text-align: center;"17: Sweet Blasphemy - Black Veil Brides/p  
p style="text-align: center;"18: Again - Flyleaf/p  
p style="text-align: center;"19: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni (english) - AmaLee/p  
p style="text-align: center;"20: So Cold - Breaking Benjamin/p  
p style="text-align: center;"21: Black Magic - Digital Daggers/p  
p style="text-align: center;"22: As Above So Below - In This Moment/p  
p style="text-align: center;"23: Gypsy Woman - Hilary Duff/p  
p style="text-align: center;"24: Sillouhette - AmaLee/p  
p style="text-align: center;"25: Dark Paradise - Lana Del Rey/p 


	27. I'm Left Here With the Pain

**A/N:** I told you guys I'm not done LOL it does warm my heart everytime I read an email of someone favoriting/following/reviewing though

For the record, I'm totally slacking on writing this one and I have FLOWN through _Rise III_... #guilty  
It's because of the mild obsession I have with writing LuciferxZarya scenes.  
And Damon's death physically broke me when I first watched it.

But here I am! I promise I'm not going anywhere.  
Not even for an original series that could stand a sliver of a chance at making me real money -awkward/nervous laugh-

xoxo  
Kuraki-chan

* * *

_Part II: Oh Lord_

26: I'm Left Here With the Pain.

Losing Damon took a piece of me that not even shutting off my humanity could make me not feel. There is not just a hole in my heart where he is supposed to be. Instead, there is an unfillable void. It sucks the life out of me each day I still breathe like a black hole. I had to do something before I went numb entirely, so I did what I do best: murder. I may not be allowed in Mystic Falls, but that doesn't keep morons away from the border. Part of me wants to feel bad for Liz, but I just can't. We got back _so_ many people, but I had to lose Damon? The only person who ever fought tooth and nail for me?

No. Fuck Mystic Falls. And fuck everyone from Mystic Falls. That town is not my home. Damon was my home and now I no longer have that. I no longer have a home.

I know Elena has been looking for me, I can sense it. She's trying to move on and go back to school like the pitiful excuse of a vampire she is, but she can't find me or even Stefan. Bonnie is dead alongside Damon. Last I knew, Jeremy was on a bender. He gets to avoid Elena and stay in Mystic Falls so long as he doesn't want his hunter abilities. I can't say I blame the kid.

Oh right, I can't anyways; I'm doing even worse than the same thing.

I've refused to let anyone find me. Caroline keeps trying, too. She's so hopelessly clung to her pitiful excuse of a 'home'. I know they've checked a couple of my clubs, but by then I'm already long gone. I know Damon wouldn't be proud of the disaster I've become, but what does it matter when he doesn't even exist anymore? He's not on the Other Side to judge me; there is no Other Side anymore. Even with the handful we saved, there's still _so_ many we couldn't.

This is exactly why I never wanted to be the "hero". Heroes always lose loved ones. I take what I want, I do what I want, I kill who I want. I'm not the hero. I never will be. And I'm certainly not gonna bother to try anymore. I'm no hero; I'm a monster. And that's exactly how it's going to stay.

* * *

"You're looking awfully derailed, little Roma."

Nova looked up slowly from her blood-tini to find Enzo smirking above her. She really did look like a mess with her hair clearly having gone unbrushed in some days as it fell in knotted waves down her back, her emerald eyes were caked in old black makeup and filled with hatred, and blood stained her heeled boots visibly. "What the fuck do you want, Brit boy?" She hissed back.

Enzo looked around the nightclub curiously. "Don't you find it a tad bit unusual how or why I found you when not even your own progeny can?"

"No," she snarled from her throat before sipping her blood-tini. "And I don't care. Get the fuck out of my face."

"You sure about that, little gypsy? I might just have something up your ally."

"Oh, you've resurrected my fiance from absolute nothingness? No? Get the fuck out of my face."

"Mm, sadly I can't do that, darling. What I can do for you, however, is give you the current address of his brother." He smirked and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket that he held between two fingers.

_That's right,_ she thought as she stared at the paper, _even Stefan took off. Couldn't even be bothered to try and patch things up with Elena. Or maybe he was afraid of me and bolted. Who knows?_

"Why would I give a fuck about Saint Stefan?"

"Probably because he got to be brought back but not Damon."

"Tch, so did you."

"Yes, but you and Stefan have loathed each other since day one, have you not? Wouldn't it spark some sort of joy to terrorize him when he's living so peacefully?"

She cut her eyes at him as she rose from her seat slowly. "What's your motive, though?"

"Damo once told me he promised Stefan an eternity of misery, and I remember thinking, 'Well, what could his brother have ever done to inspire so much hatred?' But now I get it. Stefan's not a brother to him. Brothers don't give up. So every time I see him doing anything that looks like he's done so, every time he tries to start over in a life that's nothing but a lie, I will make him pay. _We_ could make him pay; bring him the misery he deserves. What do you say?"

A deadly smirk had pulled at her maroon lips as she snatched the paper from his fingers. "I say you've finally used your brains, Enzo. Let's go pay Saint Steffie a visit."

* * *

Zina had begun adjusting to life possibly the best of everyone. She had never really settled into Mystic Falls so she got a condo about an hour outside of town. Even though Katia was off with Zarya, she still popped in to see her mom when she could. She would even spend the night and have dinner sometimes. Zina knew her sister was in complete distress, but there was nothing she could do for Nova. She was going to have to grieve. Who Zina did miss, however, was Jeremy. She hated to admit it, but even extensive shopping couldn't fill the emptiness. She was guiltily happy because Bonnie was gone, but she knew Jeremy was suffering because of it. She wished she could console him, but she hadn't really seen anyone since her fight with Saskia.

"Zina?"

She jumped suddenly at the voice, nearly dropping the couple of bags on her arms. Her dark eyes widened. Could she even turn around? She knew he would ask what happened to her, especially with the new scars on her face. She couldn't not turn around though. Not for Jeremy. So she turned in a way that shifted her raven hair over her left eye casually and gave him a soft smile. "Oh, hey, Jeremy. What are you doing out here? I heard you've been staying in Mystic Falls."

Jeremy was clearly unwell. His hair was a mess, clothes wrinkled and presumably already worn for a day or two at least, and his eyes were tired and dark. He shrugged with his hands in the pocket of his black sweatshirt. "Yeah, I have been… but I decided today that I needed a break."

"Are you… are you doing alright?" She asked softly as she took a step closer. He looked down and away. "Jeremy, when was the last time you properly ate something?"

He shrugged again. "I uh… I had a couple pieces of pizza last night."

She nodded slowly. "Right… and how old was that pizza?" When he didn't answer again, she offered a small smile. "I have a place a few blocks away if you want to come over for a while. I can make you actual food to eat with all that liquor you've been drinking if you would like."

He hesitated for a moment. Would it be an insult to Bonnie's memory when he had already begun growing close with Zina prior to the witch's death? _What's it matter?_ He thought bitterly. _She couldn't even tell me there was no way to save her… she couldn't let me say goodbye… _Finally, he nodded and followed her back to her apartment. It wasn't anything super extravagant, but it was obvious that Zina was coping with everything by shopping. The place was fully furnished with pretty nice stuff, and tons of decorations and clothes.

"You can sit," she told him with a light laugh. "What I'm going to make should take only an hour or two."

Jeremy's tired eyes followed the ravenette as she lightly danced around the modern looking kitchen. He noticed the way she kept her hair just across her left eye. "What happened at the border between you and Saskia?" He asked suddenly. "What happened to your left eye?"

Zina stopped suddenly, her back to him and a pot in her hand. "Saskia is dead now."

"Yeah, I heard that. What happened?"

She sighed and set the pot on the stove, still keeping her back to him. "She came at me for Remiel's Stone and got angry upon realizing what I had is a fake so we fought. It wasn't a pretty battle. I had to use everything I possibly could because apparently Saskia had been using black magic."

"Black magic?"

"The worst form of magic known to the supernatural existence. There are _many_ different forms, some specific to some families, but the three worst are Expression, Dark, and Black."

"What's the difference between dark and black magic though? They sound the same."

"Oh, but they're not. Dark magic is the kind that wiccan folk came up with the rule of three for - whatever you do to someone will come back to you threefold. It has repercussions for using it; sacrifices, if you will. You must be ready to give in order to receive. Black magic…" She shook her head. "Black magic consumes the soul, the body. It becomes infested in your cells. It feeds on you like a parasite. But the opportunities are endless. Your magic is completely free form to do as you please because you are no longer yourself."

Jeremy was silent as he cautiously approached her from behind. "Zina… what did Saskia do to you?" He asked softly.

"It's not so much about what happened to me, but what happened after…"

* * *

[Flashback]

Zina spat some blood from her mouth as she forced herself off the ground. Saskia was worse for wear with wrinkles across most of her flesh and not a lot of air making it to her lungs. Each time her blood splattered on the ground the red turned to black. Blood that dripped from her mouth and eyes started red and turned black as it hit the air.

"You aren't looking too good, old hag," Zina huffed as she rose to her feet. "I guess it's taking more out of you for the spell than you anticipated."

Saskia cackled. "Such a naive little thing you are, child. I had thought it would be Nova to be the sister to take my life, but I suppose you will do."

"You _want_ to die? So why are you fighting me?!"

"Do you think that I wish to die simply to not live anymore? No, you foolish child, I _always_ have a plan up my sleeve. And you're doing an exquisite job of helping with it."

Back and forth again they went to blows until Saskia was on the ground coughing and throwing up blood that turned black as she laughed. Zina watched the decrepit woman laugh while black turning blood poured from her eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Zina felt a jolt to her chest suddenly that knocked the wind out of her; she was forcibly detached from the spell which meant the Other Side was collapsing.

"_And then all light will end,_" Saskia recited in a hoarse and withering voice, "_and the world will live in darkness. The very air will be pestilence to humankind. And our brethren, the night creatures, will emerge and feed. Such as our power, such as our kingdom, such as our kiss._"

Zina's eyes widened in horror as Saskia crumbled and melted into a pile of goo that turned from red to black. Some of it splattered across Zina's horrified face. As the gooey remains began to bubble, she took a fearful step backwards. What the fuck had Saskia managed to do with her death and black magic? How could they have overlooked her for so long? The bubbling gurgled upwards until it formed some kind of sloppy, creature-looking shape. The black goo solidified around the form until it became a black, scaly seeming flesh. Eyes pried open on what was apparently a face, revealing bloodthirsty red. As soon as it gained sight on Zina, it shredded open a sharp-toothed mouth.

She gasped in a shaky breath, but before she could take off with her vampire speed the thing scrambled between two, three, and four legs at full speed towards her. She turned to flee but it tackled her to the ground. Zina fought against the beast, with claws protruding from what could only be taken as four finger-like appendages on each limb. She was able to hit it with a handful of electricity which made it yelp then snarl, and one of the paw-hands swiped down on her face. Pain flooded her immediately. Greater pain than she had ever endured during childbirth or getting her heart ripped from her chest. Somehow she managed to muster enough electricity to zap the thing off of her so she could take off as fast as she possibly could.

* * *

[Present]

"I tried searching for the beast once I healed," she continued, "but I never found it."

"So why are you hiding your left eye?" Jeremy questioned as he gently put a hand on her shoulder to get her to turn around. As she turned he brushed the hair back behind her ear. His brows raised when he saw the scarred gashes across her pale flesh.

Zina smiled sadly. "It's not very pretty to look at, is it? This is the most I could heal from the wound and it took nearly two weeks. The whole first week my skin spent repairing itself. The second I regained my sight. At the end I was left with another mutilating scar…"

The two shared silence for a long minute until Jeremy's hand brushed gently across the scars. She jumped at first, recoiling at such a sweet gesture, then he smiled even though his eyes were still exhausted and mostly lifeless. "I think they look badass. They're battle scars." He shrugged. "You should be more proud of them."

"How could I be proud when I fled like a scared child and let the beast go off to do as it pleases?"

"We'll find it eventually if it even survived. For all you know the thing melted away after. Maybe it crossed the border to Mystic Falls and died. Nothing's come up in the news about violent murders or anything."

Zina sighed. "Except the stunts my sister is pulling."

Jeremy snickered. "You've heard?"

"Of course I have. She's Nova Vasile and she just lost the love of her eternal life with no hope of ever getting him back. I know she's been taunting the border and she's making her way down south as of approximately yesterday."

He raised a brow. "Why would Nova be going south suddenly?"

They both thought for a moment when it came to them simultaneously. "She knows where Stefan is."

* * *

Stefan could smell fresh blood downstairs suddenly. Why? With haste and silence he made his way downstairs where he found Ivy with a large, bleeding gash on her neck. She was shaking, crying, and scared. "Ivy, what happened?" He asked immediately. "Are you alright?"

"I ran into a couple of your friends, Stefan," she whimpered.

His eyes widened. "What? Where? Who?"

"She said she was supposed to be your sister in law."

Something sharp and unusually painful launched into the back of his knee suddenly, knocking him to the floor. As he reached for the weapon that was numbing his leg, he recognized one of Nova's daggers. Then he heard the clicking of heels against his wood floor until he was looking up at the ravenette. Blood dripped from her already maroon painted lips. Her raven hair had fully regrown down her back in waves. She donned tight black pants, a crimson blouse that hugged her curves with bell sleeves, and black heeled boots. In one hand she twirled the second dagger casually as she stared down at him menacingly.

"Sissy found you, Steffie," she grinned at him, baring her fangs. "Oh, that's right, Damon died before I could actually become your sister. Not that you would ever see me as your family regardless." She shrugged. "I'm sorry, is my dagger bothering your leg? I do imagine it must be numb now. I've been playing around with various poisons since I've had so much time on my hands now." She bent down and stared him in the eye while she violently ripped the blade from his knee, reveling in his cry of pain.

"Stefan," Ivy whimpered, "what's going on?"

"Ivy, you need to leave," Stefan instructed as he forced himself slowly to his feet. Albeit he had to limp with one leg mostly numb.

"Afraid that's not going to happen, mate," came Enzo who stood against the front door happily. "She's going to get to watch the whole show, then probably end up dead." He shrugged.

Nova advanced on Stefan slowly. He kept backing up until Ivy was against him. "You know, Stefan," the ravenette drawled with her Romanian accent growing thicker, "I contemplated leaving shreds of you outside of the Salvatore crypts. I've honestly dreamed about it for decades. What a shame I'm cut off from my home _and_ my love is dead. Yet, here you stand so selfishly. You couldn't even stand to be around Elena. What happened to working it out with her, hm? You know she's on some kind of witchy drugs now? I guess it takes her to a time where she didn't loathe her life." She shrugged. "I still think the numb of cocaine feels better. If I wanted to hallucinate I would take acid."

"You want to terrorize me, Nova? Go ahead. Just let Ivy go."

"Oh, come now, Steffie, have I ever been such a merciful woman? No, I want you to watch as I tear her limb from limb. Then I'm going to drag you back on whatever drugs and poisons I have on me so you can watch me do the same to Elena. Then I'm going to find Katherine and do it _again_." She looked behind them suddenly to Enzo. "Do you think I should include Caroline? I heard she had a thing for him for a while and it seems to want to spark again."

Enzo shrugged. "Ah, why not, right? Even if he doesn't get a little hard for the girl she's still _such_ a lovely friend, isn't she Stefan?"

"You're taking this too far, Nova. Enough is enough."

She raised her brows. "I'm sorry, who the fuck do you think you're talking to?" She grinned and laughed right in his face. "Damon promised you an eternity of misery. We're here to keep that promise."

"Yes, Stefan," Enzo added, "we aren't here to kill _you_, mate! Nah, that would be too quick. We're going to make certain you have the bloody worst eternity possible. Anyone you so much as say 'hello' to we will kill. Any woman you try to be intimate with, we will be there to tear her to pieces."

"Any time you think for even a second you're happy, or content, or calm," Nova whispered venomously in his face, "we will be there over your shoulder to rip it away."

"You're emotional, Nova. You don't want to do this."

"Actually, Stefan, I _feel_ great. That's the key word, right - feel? Yeah, I _feel_, Stefan. I didn't get my emotions back to spit on Damon's memory. No. Instead, I thought I might use it to fuel my fire. Did you ever figure I would be more volatile when acting upon my emotions rather than when I lock them away?" As she grinned, her fangs extended and eyes darkened with the veins beneath them. "Believe me, Steffie, I'm worse than a monster now."


End file.
